Iron Man: Titanic Adventures Season 1
by OCMixMaster27
Summary: Teenage billionaire technologist Tony Stark, aka the Invincible Iron Man, assembles a group of young heroes to form the Teen Titans, Jump City's guardians. Can the heroes overcome their differences to save the city from the villainous Slade? And what secrets is Tony Stark hiding? Triple Crossover with Naruto, Marvel, and Teen Titans. A.N. I'M STILL ALIVE!
1. Teen Titans Go!

**AN: My sincerest apologies for my impromptu hiatus. A lot of things have been going on in my life the past few years; getting my college degree, relationships, bringing home bacon, learning how to be a better writer, and, most unfortunately, losing a whole bunch of my writing data. But the good news is I am back and ready to pop out some chapters for you readers! Enjoy to your heart's content!**

**Now this is one of if not THE most ambitious of my projects. This is going to be a fusion of the Naruto, Marvel, and DC universes. Because of this, there may be some details that I miss, so please don't get too angry with me.**

**Disclaimer: This author does not own the properties of Naruto, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics (unfortunately). This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.**

"Hello there!": Speech.

'_What a drag'_: Thoughts.

[I am Iron Man!]: Mechanical Speech

**The Earth is Mine!**: Monster/Demon Speech

**Let'sgetiton!**

Chapter 1

Teen Titans Go!

**Location: Space Sector 2814, Solaris System, near Planet Terra (Earth)**

In the vast blackness of space, near a small blue and green planet, a large and menacing spacecraft moves towards its destination. It's an orange-red vessel with multiple sharp appendages and a red circle lens in the front.

Inside the vessel, high-pitched screams of frustration and rage echo through the ship. Two of the ship's crew walk through some mechanical doors towards the source of the scream, passing by multiple beings from other worlds that are trapped in holding cells. The crewmates are large blue and green lizard-men with red eyes and wings on their backs. They are proud warriors of the Gordanian Empire. They carry bladed staffs with lasers at the end to deal with dangerous situations, like the one they're in now.

The screams are soon joined by the sound of pounding on metal as the two approach a reinforced door with a small viewing window. They join two others that are guarding the door, ready to stop whatever is in the cell from escaping.

"The door will hold?" One of them asks.

"It must!" another responds as the pounding continues. "The alien WILL be delivered on schedule. Lord Trogaar commands it!"

The door becomes weaker and less stable with each hit.

"And if this THING gets loose?" A guard asks nervously.

Another guard steels himself. "Then Zorg help us all."

A more powerful blow hits the door, breaking the glass window. A pair of glowing enraged eyes is seen through the glass. A final scream, followed by a final strike, and the door shoots off its hinges and lands in front of the now weary guards.

The prisoner steps out of the dark cell and into the light. It is a humanoid girl with orange skin, scarlet-red hair, and glowing green eyes. She's wearing a black and silver battle suit with a small black skirt and a metal headpiece that frames her face. This is Koriand'r, princess of Planet Tamaran. Her hands are bound by metal cuffs, but that won't stop her righteous fury.

"Zengtha ru maka! Kek zengtha ror!"

**(Insert Theme Song: Teen Titans Theme)**

Koriand'r charges at the guards. She swings her manacled hands and knocks a guard into the wall.

"Zengtha ru maka! Kek zengtha ror!"

Another swing, and two more hit the opposing side of the ship. The fourth one swings his staff at the prisoner, who blocks with the manacles. She uses them to break his staff, then jump kicks him to the wall, making him hit a red button on the side. Red lights and alarms fill the ship, which gain the girl's attention.

"Heska vo," she says with determination.

A side of the ship explodes outward, and Koriand'r escapes, heading towards the nearby planet.

**Location: Jump City**

The city is relatively quiet tonight. The people below continue their business as usual, without the threat of strong evildoers hanging over their heads. This is not to say that they don't happen. Much like other cities such as Gotham, Metropolis, and New York, Jump gets its fair share of villains. However, the city has its own superpowered hero who stops the villains and protects the people.

That hero is currently working in a large skyscraper with the word STARK on the side in big shining letters. He is in a laboratory surrounded by computers, machines, and lots of scrap metal. Sparks fly as he diligently works on a robotic gauntlet. Black Sabbath's War Pigs plays in the background.

Suddenly, alarms go off through the lab, and a computerized voice speaks up. [Sir, an unidentified flying object is about to land in the downtown area].

A computer screen pulls up a live video of a glowing green object streaking across the sky before landing in the city with a large green mushroom cloud. The figure takes off his welder's helmet and strokes his chin as he watches the video. Another screen pulls up some schematics for a suit of armor.

[The Mark 7 is fully operational and ready for the field, sir.] the voice says, gaining a grin from the figure.

"Suit me up, Jarvis."

**Location: Downtown**

People gather around the smoking green crater and take pictures with their cameras. The smoke clears, revealing the alien girl.

"Slopforn ivortmat! Slopforn! Ond gunshik zerrole!" She yells as she jumps out of the crater and forces the humans away from her. One citizen takes a picture, and the flash blinds the girl. Enraged, she swings wildly at the people, who run away in fear. She then smashes everything around her; cars, payphones, benches, streetlights. Some people are watching the destruction from the top of the Pizza Plaza nearby. Koriand'r struggles to get the manacles off her hands, with no success. She then eyes the support beam for the Pizza Plaza and swings her arms at it, damaging it and shaking the building full of people.

"Zop!" WHAM! "Yark!" WHAM! "Mesnef!" WHAM! Each strike brings the building closer to collapse. She lifts her arms for another swing-

-only for a bird-shaped projectile to hit her headpiece. She turns and glares at her attacker, who is standing on top of a car. He's a teenage boy with spikey black hair, wearing a red, yellow, and green acrobat suit, along with a yellow and black cape and a domino mask. This is Robin the Boy Wonder, former sidekick of the legendary Batman of Gotham City.

"Who are you?" he orders the girl. Her response is to swing her arms at her attacker, with him jumping out of the way and letting the car take the hit for him. She keeps swinging to hit him, and he keeps jumping and dodging out of the way. Watching this from an alleyway is a blue-hooded figure with indigo eyes.

Robin's eyes widen as the alien casually kicks up a car and sends it his way. He ducks low to the ground to avoid the car, which flies into a building with an explosion.

He sees the damage. "Hm. Stronger than she looks." His attention goes back to the girl, just in time to take a hit that sends him tumbling away. He gets up and jumps away right as she hits the ground where he was. Robin then takes out a metal cylinder that extends into a combat staff. He swings at the girl and hits her into a parked car, wrecking it. He then prepares to hit her again, but the staff breaks in his hands.

Koriand'r pries herself off the car, cracks her neck, and smirks. "Zota." She jumps and swings at the caped hero-

-but a green ram knocks her out of the way. The ram transforms into another teenage boy with green skin and pointed ears. He's wearing a purple, black, and silver jumpsuit with a matching mask. This is-

"Ex-Doom Patrol member Beast Boy, sir! How can I assist-" The now named Beast Boy's eyes widen in shock. "Wowzers! You're Robin, aren't you sir?"

"Well, you can start by not calling me 'sir'," Robin responded to the star-struck green boy, who was beyond listening at this point.

"Well let me just that it's a great honor to meet-"

"Beast Boy, was it?"

"Yes sir?"

Robin just pointed at the alien girl, who had a bus ready to throw at the boys. She hurls it at them, who jump out of the way. Just before it hits the ground, a large figure catches the bus and tosses it to the side. The figure is a large African American teen with a glowing red eye and wearing a grey hoody that covers his features. This is Victor Stone, a runaway teen from Star City who's been living on the streets of Jump for some time now.

"Yo! Who's here messing up my neighborhood?!" he yells.

"She started it!" Beast Boy points at Koriand'r, who takes a swing at the ground beneath her. A shockwave unbalances the guys for a moment. The manacles finally come off the girl's hands, revealing another set of cuffs around her wrists. Her now free hands start to glow green, and she points them at the heroes. They brace for an attack-

-but a whistling sound draws everyone's attention. They look up and see a missile flying towards their position. It lands in the concrete in between the two sides. Everyone prepares themselves for what the missile would do. However, they are all unprepared for large speakers to pop out of it.

**(Start Music: Shoot to Thrill, ACDC)**

The girl covers her ears at the sound of the loud music that fills the street. The guys meanwhile are confused as to what the heck is going on. They then hear rockets behind them and turn around. The source is a man-sized flying object heading for them fast. The object fires an energy beam at the girl, knocking her back to the ground several feet away. It then lands in a crouch position in front of the boys. The girl gets back on her feet and joins her opponents in sporting shocked looks on their faces.

The object stands up and reveals itself to be a metal robotic suit of armor. Its color is mostly hot-rod red with gold yellow on the face, underarms, and thighs. The face plate has openings in the eyes and mouth, giving the suit a permanent scowl. The eyes glow blue, as does a triangular area around the heart and the circular globes at the palms of the hands.

This is the guardian and chief benefactor of Jump City.

This is Iron Man.

**(End Music)**

[Really? A neighborhood brawl and you guys didn't even bother to invite me? I am seriously disappointed with you all.] The synthesized voice has a tone of fake displeasure to it.

Beast Boy recovers first and gains an even more star-struck look on his face. "Holy smokes! Dudes! It's Iron Man! For real! It's a huge honor to meet you sir!"

[A nickel for every time I heard that,] Iron Man mutters. [I'll sign your mask later, kid. Right now, I've got a job to do.]

Koriand'r growls again, before raising her glowing hands again. Iron Man raises his hands in response, making the sound of something powering up. Green orbs of light shoot off the alien's hands. Blue repulsor beams shoot out of Iron Man's gauntlets. Green meets blue in the middle, creating a shockwave that makes the other guys cover their eyes. As the two superpowers fight for dominance, the alien's fatigue from her escape and the earlier fighting begins to show, while Iron Man is still fresh and fully charged for battle. Blue eventually overpowers green. The repulsors hit the girl, causing a dust cloud to form. When the dust clears, Koriand'r is seen on her knees in exhaustion.

The other three boys approach behind Iron Man. "That was so awesome, sir! I've always wanted to see Iron Man in action! You were all like 'Fshwoom shwoom!'" Beast Boy cries out in excitement.

[Thanks. I also do Bar Mitzvahs and Spring Break parties.]

"All that aside, we need to stop her before she destroys the city," Robin declares.

Iron Man shrugs. [Hey, I've pretty much got this wrapped up already. But if you guys want to keep fighting, be my guest.]

The other boys move to do just that, when a large black ethereal bird separates them from the girl. "Maybe fighting isn't the answer," another girl's voice suggests. The guys turn to see the hooded figure from the alley, who is revealed to be a pale-skinned girl in a dark leotard with a blue cloak around her form. This is Raven, who's just arrived in Jump City. She turns away shyly at their looks.

As the spectral bird disappears, Robin finally notices the cuffs around the alien's wrists. "Stand down'" he orders.

"Hey, you think you're the boss of me or something?!" Victor demands.

"Just give me a chance." Robin approaches the panting alien girl.

Koriand'r stands up and raises her glowing hands again, making Robin back away. "Go'ta!"

"Easy. My name is Robin. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help." He reaches for his utility belt.

"Go'ta! Go'ta bu ogda!"

"It's okay, look," Robin says, revealing a lockpick. The girl stares at Robin for a moment before allowing the glow to leave her hands and eyes, revealing her eyes to be emerald green colored in all parts. Robin picks at the locks of her cuffs. The cuffs soon fall off her wrists.

"There, now maybe we can be - MMPH!" Robin gets cut off as Koriand'r pulls him close and kisses him. The others gain shocked looks on their faces. The kiss lasts for only a moment before she pushes him away from her, her eyes now glowing again.

"If you wish not to be destroyed, you will leave me alone!" She then flies away from the wreckage, leaving five strangers in the thick of it.

[Well, this has been fun guys, really, but I've got a cute flying juggernaut to catch. So yeah, thanks for the help, and have a nice life.] And with that, Iron Man flies off to catch the alien girl, leaving just four strangers now in a wrecked downtown.

Beast Boy turns to the group. "Sooo, I'm Beast Boy. Who are you guys?"

**Location: Above Jump City, Business District**

Finally free from her shackles, the alien girl flies across the city, passing by several skyscrapers along the way. She idly notices the tallest one having the word STARK on the side in glowing letters, but only for a moment. Her focus is on survival and escape. First, she needs to feed herself. Her captors were less than willing to give her the sustenance she needed. Afterwards, she needs to find a place to hide until Trogaar and his minions leave the area. Then she will find her way back to her home.

A stray thought enters her mind, however. _'The behavior of the native peoples was very peculiar,'_ Koriand'r thinks to herself. _'The boy wearing the bright clothing was especially strange. First, he attacked me when I was trying to free myself, then he helped me out of my restraints. Although, I hate to admit this, but I am thankful for him freeing me. He was an attractive young man, too. A tad short, but-'_

Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of rockets behind her. She turns her head and her eyes widen at what she sees. The "Iron Man" has ignored her warning and is pursuing her! She grits her teeth. This is not what she needs right now. Koriand'r picks up her pace and zooms between the skyscrapers around her. She flies past every building, street, and gap she can find, trying to escape her pursuer. Unfortunately, he matches her at every turn, making her grow even more frustrated.

Iron Man, meanwhile, is enjoying himself right now. He's always believed that his flight technology was the best part of being Iron Man. How many people can say that they fly around in a walking tank on a regular basis? He hasn't really been able to fully test the flight capabilities of the Mark 7, and this girl just gave him a good excuse. So far, it seems to be holding up just fine, even with how good a flier she is. Luckily, Iron Man knows his city like the back of his hand, so maneuvering around isn't too hard. It also doesn't hurt that he hacked the city's security cameras about a year ago.

Eventually, Koriand'r looks behind her, and notices that her pursuer isn't following her anymore. She sighs in relief, turns forward-

-and practically screeches to a halt in mid-air as Iron Man hovers nonchalantly in front of her. She growls and readies her starbolts, but he puts a hand up to stop her.

[Let's take this downstairs,] Iron Man suggests before landing on the rooftop right below him. Reluctantly, she joins him on the roof.

"I told you to leave me alone!"

[Yeah, well _somebody_ wrecked part of my city, and I sure as hell ain't paying for the damages.]

"You have no idea of what you are dealing with."

[Um...Shakespeare in the Park?]

"..."

[Doth thou father know thou flieth around in such a short skirt?]

"You are becoming very annoying."

[Okay, okay, fine. Look, let's just start over, okay? My name is-]

"I. Do not. Care!" The green glowing intensifies.

[Hey! Take it easy, I'm trying to be the nice one here.]

"Nice? We do not have this word on my planet. Closest is 'rutha'. Weak!"

[Yeah, well welcome to Planet Earth, where "nice" means "nice". And if you want me to keep being nice, you're gonna tell me what you're doing here. And why you were in those cuffs. Were you a prisoner or something?]

The green glowing dies down as her angry expression turns into one of depression. "Not prisoner. I am...prize. The Gordanians are to deliver me to the Citadel, to live out my days as their servant."

[And the Citadel are?]

"Not. Nice."

Iron Man thinks things over for a moment, takes in the condition of the girl in front of him, then sighs in his helmet. [Well, in that case, I better make sure that they don't find you.]

The alien girl's eyes widen at this. "You would...assist me?"

[Yep.]

"I do not understand. I have caused so much destruction, and yet-"

[Look, according to my awesome detective skills,] Iron Man casually closes the distance between them, [you were taken from your home against your will, imprisoned, and transported light years away. You escaped, wound up on an unfamiliar world with unfamiliar peoples, and you defended yourself accordingly. Am I right?]

She sadly nods at his analysis.

[Believe me when I say this, if I were in your shoes, I'd have done something similar. Well, maybe not as destructive, but still, I understand that being in that type of situation can be a bit much to take. Besides, I can sense that you're a good person deep inside, and I'm usually right about my senses.]

Koriand'r gains a curious look on her face. "You are...quite strange. I have attacked you and threatened you with violence, and yet you wish to be...'nice' to me."

Iron Man chuckles at this. [Yeah, well that happens more often than you think.] This puts a smile on the girl's face. He rubs the back of his head sheepishly. [You know, in all the excitement, I never really got your name.]

"It is Koriand'r. In your language, it would be... 'Star Fire'."

Iron Man extends his hand out. [Well, I may have said this already, but welcome to Planet Earth, Starfire.]

Starfire examines the hand for a moment before eagerly clasping it with her own. "I am thankful for your welcoming, Man of Iron!"

[Actually, you can call me-]

Their conversation is interrupted by a large shadow being cast over them. They look up and see the alien ship that brought Starfire to Earth. The large ship, about half the size of Jump City, hovers over the skyscrapers as it makes its way across the city.

[Let me guess: Gordanians?]

"Indeed," Starfire growls.

The ship stops over an island in Jump City Bay. A cylindrical-shaped object detaches itself from the main body and lands on the island. A hologram projection comes from the top, revealing a Gordanian, only bulkier and wearing a spiky crown on its head.

[People of Earth, I am Trogaar, Lord of the Gordanians. We come to your planet hunting an escaped prisoner. A very dangerous prisoner. Do not interfere, and we will leave your city with only minimal damage. But if you attempt to assist her, your destruction will be absolute.]

The hologram shuts off, its threatening message delivered. The probe opens, revealing an army of Gordanians. They take to the skies with their wings and head straight for the city.

Iron Man scoffs at the sight. [Minimal damages, my ass.]

"I do not wish to be held captive by these creatures again, Friend. We should be leaving the city," Starfire suggests.

Iron Man shakes his head. [It won't help. Trogaar's gonna flip the whole planet upside-down to find you, with little to no thought of civilian casualties. And since the League and SHIELD are God-knows-where, it's up to us to stop him.]

"Trogaar has an army. We are only two," Starfire points out.

Iron Man smirks in his helmet. [I've handled worse.]

UUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRGLGLGLGLGLGL

Both of them are surprised by the sudden unholy noise. Starfire holds her stomach in embarrassment. "Um…excuse me," she says shyly.

[How about we get some food first? Can't beat bad guys on an empty stomach.] Iron Man fires up his boots. [C'mon, I know a good place.] He takes off into the heart of the city, a very hungry alien following him.

**Location: Kishimoto's Ramen**

The only living things prowling the streets of Jump City are large, flying lizardmen from space. They turn over garbage cans, break into buildings, and blast away cars trying to find their target. Watching over all of this is a middle-aged Asian couple and their teenage son in their local restaurant. They hide behind the counter and watch as the aliens tear up the city. Seeing no sign of the Tamaranean, the Gordanians leave the street. The family breathes a sigh of relief, which leaves their bodies immediately after two people land in front of their restaurant. It's Iron Man, in the flesh so-to-speak, along with a strangely-dressed orange teenage girl.

[Konbanwa, citizens! Um, lovely evening we're having, huh?]

Silence.

[So, I was just hoping, if it's not too much trouble, if my lovely friend here could enjoy a bowl of your Shoyu Pork Ramen, please.]

More silence.

[…I have money.]

"T-Three minutes, sir!" the teenage son stutters out.

**Three minutes later:**

A large, steaming bowl of noodles in shoyu broth with all the fixings is placed in front of a now seated Starfire. She takes a big whiff of the dish in front of her, and stars appear in her eyes.

Iron Man is seated in the booth next to her and watches with the family as Starfire prepares to eat. He chuckles at her behavior. [Alright then, now to eat this, you need to take those two sticks next to you and-] Iron Man is cut off as Starfire takes the bowl and straight-up pours the contents of the bowl into her gaping mouth. All four humans sweat-drop at the sight of two bulging cheeks full of noodles and soup. […Or you can just do that. That works too.]

Starfire tests the flavor in her mouth for a moment before swallowing the whole thing. An angelic aura appears around her as she gains a heavenly look on her face. She then presents her bowl to the ramen chefs. "More, please!"

Iron Man sighs contently at this before putting his hands in a prayer position. [And another wandering soul sees the light.]

The lady chef turns to the armored hero and asks, "Would you like something, sir?"

[Nah, I already had a couple of bowls before I left the office.] He then reaches into a compartment and pulls out a hundred-dollar bill. [Here.]

The lady looks at the bill in surprise. "I-I think this is too much."

[No it isn't.]

**Eight bowls later:**

All three chefs have their jaws on the ground at the tall stack of empty ramen bowls. [Told you so,] Iron Man comments as he takes in the sight of a happy teenage alien patting her now full stomach in content.

"BUUUUUUUUUUUURP! …excuse me." She turns to her new friend. "I am most appreciative for the food, Friend Iron Man, but there is still the matter of the Gordanians."

[Don't worry, backup just arrived.]

"What backup?"

Iron Man points behind her. [That backup.] Starfire turns around and sees the four teenagers that she met and fought earlier. She prepares her star-bolts to fight again, but Iron Man stops her. [Relax. They're on our side.] He turns to the group. [Right, guys?]

Nervously, Beast Boy confirms, "Yeah, we figured after we saw those scary lizard guys that you might be the good alien."

Starfire powers down at this. Iron Man rises from his seat. [Right then, introductions. Guys, this is Starfire, the superpowered girl who's a bit far from her home. Starfire, this is Robin, acrobat and combat specialist, who's also pretty far from home, if I may say so myself.] Robin turns his head away at this. [Then there's Beast Boy, a shapeshifter apparently.] Beast Boy turns into a beagle, then back into a human. [Then there's…] he trails off at the large teen in the hoodie.

Said teen pulls back his hood, revealing a head devoid of hair and mostly covered in white and blue machinery, leaving the mouth and right side of his head flesh. His left eye glows a ruby red. "Just call me Cyborg, for obvious reasons."

[Right. Which leaves…] Iron Man's attention is on the teenage girl in the blue cloak.

"Raven. I'm…complicated."

[Noted.]

Robin approaches Starfire. "So, you're not an escaped prisoner, are you?"

Starfire looks downcast. "No. Trogaar wishes to take me to the Citadel to be their slave."

Robin gains a determined look. "Well, I won't let that happen, Starfire."

Beast Boy interjects, "Uh, don't you mean w-"

[INCOMING!] Iron Man shouts. Everyone jumps away as an explosion hits the area where they stood. The group recovers and sees a squad of Gordanians land in front of them.

One of the Gordanians speaks up, "Surrender the prisoner, humans, and we will not blast you into oblivion."

Iron Man levels his eyes at this alien. [Better idea; fly back to your ship and leave our planet, and I won't beat you to a bloody pulp for trashing my city.]

The Gordanian growls at this as his comrades prepare their laser-lances. "A very unwise choice, Earthling."

Iron Man punches his palm. [Yeah. For you.]

"Iron Man, wait!" Robin exclaims, "We need a plan of attack!"

[I have a plan;] Iron Man powers up his hand repulsors. [Attack!]

VRIIIIIIIII-SHOOOOM!

Twin blue blasts send the lead Gordanian through the wall of the building behind him. Iron Man capitalizes on the aliens' shock and fires up his boot jets. He charges into the group, knocking away several Gordanians. He then hovers in the middle of the group and raises both of his arms out from his sides. From his right gauntlet, his signature repulsor-blaster powers up for a large attack. From his left gauntlet, a compartment opens to reveal small gun loaded with explosive rounds. Non-lethal, but extremely painful. Iron Man then spins himself in a circle, the combination of a single repulsor beam and multiple small explosions taking out a good number of aliens.

Once he stops spinning and lands in a crouch, he turns to his new companions. [Let's not all jump in at once, alright?], he quips as he launches himself higher into the air.

The other heroes take this as their cue to jump in, though Starfire gets a bit confused due to her lack of understanding sarcasm. Readying their weapons and powers, the young heroes join their armored ally in the Gordanian mosh-pit.

Cyborg hammer-strikes the closest alien, then clotheslines another two. Beast Boy shifts into a rhinoceros and charges right into a group of Gordanians with the force of a truck. Starfire takes out a clump of them with a flying fist, then spin kicks several others away from her. Robin pulls out his spare metal staff and takes out the physically stronger Gordanians with his years of martial-arts training. He also throws in some grenades for good measure. Raven uses her dark magic to throw the aliens around her all over the street. Iron Man takes the fight to the air, throwing some rocket-powered fists and feet at his enemies.

Starfire joins him in the air, using her starbolts to take out her captors. Two of the aliens dodge her blasts and fly up to meet her. One of them throws a punch at Starfire, but she dodges the punch and throws her own, sending her attacker to the ground. The last one gets in her guard, though, and strikes her down to the street, leaving a crater where she landed. She struggles to get up, leaving herself open for the last Gordanian to blast her with its staff.

Or at least, that would have happened. Fortunately, Robin sees her plight and gives her some help. He uses his staff to send a Gordanian flying in her direction, making it crash right into its ally. Starfire turns to her human companion and gives him a grateful smile.

Cyborg, meanwhile, is having problems of his own, grappling with a Gordanian for its staff. The alien wins the struggle by tripping the hero with its tail. Cyborg rolls and flips out of the way to avoid being blasted by the staff. Unfortunately, several manage to hit him, ruining his outfit and exposing the mechanical armor that covers his entire body. Cyborg retaliates by destroying the alien's staff with a single punch. He then lifts the alien off the ground and throughs it at some of its allies in the air.

A few other flyers shoot at Cyborg with their staffs, but a green Pteranodon swoops in and rescues the metal hero. Raven then uses her magic on a lamppost and swings it at the group, sending them to the ground. One Gordanian gets behind her in the air and nearly crushes her with its fists, but Iron Man crashes into the alien, scraping it on the asphalt below.

The armored avenger then picks up the alien by its throat and readies his fist to knock its brains out. He pauses, however, when he notices the smirk on the alien's face. Iron Man glances over his shoulder and sees Gordanian reinforcements flying to their position.

Iron Man sighs at this. [I just can't get a break tonight, can I?] A compartment opens on Iron Man's back, and a single missile with the word JERICHO written on the side launches at the alien horde. All eyes are on the flying object, wondering how a single missile can take out a dozen aliens. The answer comes when the single missile splits into twelve smaller missiles, each one aimed at a single alien, resulting in a multitude of explosions that mix into one big blast. Iron Man just keeps his eyes locked on his Gordanian captive as the shockwave washes over the battlefield, while everyone else takes cover from the high-velocity winds.

When the dust settles, all the Gordanians are on the ground in severe pain. Iron Man's focus is on the one in his grip, who quivers at his glare. [Scram.] He throws the alien at its comrades, who all fly away back to ship to lick their wounds. Iron Man scoffs at this. [Tourists.] He then joins his new allies as they recover from the fight.

"Thank you," Starfire says hesitantly to the other heroes.

"Aw man, my suit!" Cyborg whines as he sees his shredded hoodie and jeans.

Beast Boy gives a thumbs-up to his new friend. "So what? You look way cooler without it."

"Like I'll take fashion advice from a guy wearing a goofy mask," Cyborg retorts.

Beast Boy gains an offended look on his face. "Goofy? My mask is cool, right guys?" he asks the rest of the group.

[You're not gonna like any of our answers, string-bean,] Iron Man states bluntly.

"B-but what about my secret identity?"

"You're green. What secret identity?" Raven asks.

Beast Boy tries to give a response to this but fails. He then reluctantly takes off his mask, revealing his face and his darker-green hair.

Iron Man turns his attention to his fellow mechanical hero. [I recognize that tech. S.T.A.R. Labs, right?]

Cyborg's eyes widen at the question. "How'd you know?"

[I've been negotiating with S.T.A.R. Labs for a while about a joint cybernetics project. And on that note, you wouldn't happen to be-]

"Hate to interrupt," Robin cuts in, "but this isn't over. Now that we've interfered-"

"Trogaar will strike harder," Starfire interjects. "It is only a matter of-"

[Fools!] The hologram of Trogaar reappears. [The Earth scum were warned; your insolence will be punished! Your city shall be destroyed!] The hologram disappears again as the large cannon at the front of the alien points itself at the city below and begins to charge.

All six heroes have their eyes on the Gordanian weapon.

"Great," Raven grumbles.

The Gordanian superweapon has its sight set on the team as Beast Boy complains, "So, after trashing a pizza place, several streets, and a number of buildings, we've managed to make a humongous space gecko mad enough to vaporize our entire town?!"

"Go team," Cyborg deadpans.

"ALL THE FAULT IS YOURS!" Starfire yells at the group. "YOU CONTINUE TO INSIST ON BEING NICE!"

"OUR FAULT?!" Robin yells back. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TRASHED THE CITY AND BROUGHT THESE ALIENS TO OUR PLANET!"

"I can't believe you dragged me into this mess!" Beast Boy complains to Cyborg.

"Me?! _You're_ the one who got _me_ into this!" Cyborg yells back.

All this arguing is witnessed by the armored avenger and the dark sorceress, who both have neutral looks on their faces (one behind a helmet).

[Maybe this is a sign that we'll all be the bestest friends who ever lived someday.]

"Or that this is the worst team-up ever and we're all going to die."

[That too.]

"You mind if I…?"

[Please do.]

Raven approaches the squabbling quartet and takes in a big lungful of air. "QUIET!" All arguments stop. Raven gains a sheepish look at all the attention she's now getting. "Hi."

Iron Man claps his hands together. [Well, now that we've got all that out of our systems, let's get back to saving Jump City, shall we?]

Robin glares at Iron Man for his comment, before turning back to the group. "He's right. It doesn't matter how we got into this mess. We're in it, and we'll get out of it together."

The heroes all have confident looks on their faces at Robin's words.

Iron Man pumps his fist. [Alright team. Let's give Trogaar a proper Jump City welcome.]

**Location: Gordanian Ship, hallway**

A large black bubble of energy appears in an empty corridor, before splitting open and revealing the six heroes, who were transported on-board the ship using Raven's magic.

Iron Man scans the hallway. [Nothing in the immediate vicinity. I'll scan for the firing controls.]

Beast Boy gives a visible shudder. "That dark energy stuff gives me the-" Raven's glare cuts his comment off and makes him do a complete reversal. "Uh, I mean, it's cool!"

Iron Man, meanwhile, has been scanning Raven's energy for a while to confirm a theory of his. The readings on his screen make him groan internally. _'__I knew that energy was familiar. This'll be troublesome'._ An alert on his screen catches his eye. [Found the controls.]

Robin, who had been scouting ahead, turns back to the group. "All clear. There isn't much time."

[Follow me.] Iron Man leads the group through the ship as stealthily as possible. Raven straggles behind the team. Beast Boy notices this but continues following the group. Raven sulks at this.

"Mind telling me why you're always by yourself?" Raven is startled as she sees Cyborg next to her.

"You heard the kid. I don't exactly fit in."

Cyborg gives the sorceress a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's green, half of me is metal, and she's from space. Add in the rich boy in the metal suit and the walking traffic-light, and I say you fit in just fine." His comment puts a small smile on the girl's face.

Up ahead, Iron Man and Robin take the lead scouting ahead, with Starfire right behind them.

"I bring you…an apology…for our fight when I landed." Her words cause the two heroes to turn back to her.

"Don't worry about it. We didn't know the whole story." Robin reassured her.

Starfire smiles at this. "And again, you are all…nice. On my world, only my k'norfka has shown me such kindness."

[Well, like I said earlier, things are different here.] Iron Man comments. His attention is then pulled forwards. [Looks like they know we're here.]

The group sees an entire squad of Gordanians charging their front. A screeching turns their attention behind them as another squad charges their rear.

Iron Man powers up his repulsors. [Two hundred bucks says I take down more lizards then you guys.]

**Location: Gordanian Ship, bridge**

The sound of button-mashing and beeping computers fills the multi-level bridge. The Gordanians work overtime to prepare their ultimate weapon for complete annihilation. At the center of the room is Lord Trogaar himself, watching over the scene with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. What's about to happen may lose him a partnership with the Citadel, but it'll be worth it to destroy the pests that cost him his prize.

One of his subordinates in charge of the laser cannon turns to him. "Lord Trogaar! The weapon is fully charged."

"Then begin the firing sequence," Trogaar orders. His men activate a countdown sequence on the main monitors. Rings on the cannon itself begin to light up, starting from the base and moving down the chamber.

Trogaar stands from his throne, a wicked grin on his face. "The Earth scum shall learn; it takes more than six juvenile heroes to defy the mighty Lord Trogaar!"

VRIIIIIIIII-SHOOOOM!

An explosion behind Trogaar knocks him out of his gloating. All Gordanians turn their heads to the gaping, smoking hole where their entryway used to be.

And the six previously mentioned heroes standing before them.

[First of all, I find the word 'juvenile' extremely offensive,] Iron Man states. [Second of all-]

"We're not six heroes. We're one team," Robin finishes.

Iron Man begins the assault, propelling himself into the air and firing his repulsors at the enemy aliens below. One of the Gordanians flies up to meet him and takes a swipe, but Iron Man dodges the attack and slams the lizard down hard to the floor. He then uses those same fists to uppercut another alien in the air.

Robin follows suit by charging in and taking a Gordanian down with a flying kick. He then leaps towards another one and launches a fist into a scaly face. Another two aliens are taken out with a swing from a metal staff.

Cyborg uses his robotic strength and slams both of his fists to the ground, with the resulting shockwave taking out a group of aliens. He then works through the rest of the surrounding enemies one by one with a series of punches and tackles.

Starfire flies right into the thick of the battle, eager to remove the obstacles in the way of her freedom. She uppercuts her first enemy, then sends a volley of starbolts at the remaining lizards in her vicinity. She takes care of the remaining Gordanian with a punch strong enough to send teeth flying.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy makes liberal use of his many animal forms. Two lizards get a kangaroo double kick right in their guts. Two others get crushed by the fists of an enraged gorilla. The kangaroo returns with a vengeance to kick a Gordanian away before swinging a heavy tail at another.

Before the onslaught can continue, Trogaar decides to intervene. Growling at the damage his forces are taking, he leaps into the fray and slams his fists into the ground. The shockwave sends Beast Boy flying into a wall. Trogaar approaches the shapeshifter to finish him off, but Raven appears from a portal and throws up a black shield around herself and her new teammate. Trogaar punches with all his might at the barrier, each strike putting strain on the sorceress. Eventually, he breaks through the shield and prepares to destroy both heroes.

His plans are foiled when a repulsor blast knocks him across the throne room. Trogaar raises himself up to fight the metal hero in front of him, but Robin comes up behind him and sends a left jab at the lizard lord's face, followed by a kick that sends the lord back to Iron Man. A violent tennis match ensues between the Boy Wonder and the Armored Avenger, with Trogaar as the ball. Trogaar finally ends it by grabbing Robin and sending him crashing into Iron Man. This messes with Iron Man's flying and both heroes end up crashing into the far wall.

Starfire gasps as she sees what happened to her new friends. Her eyes glow green in rage and she launches herself at Trogaar. She throws starbolt after starbolt at her archenemy, creating a smokescreen to go around his form. Surprisingly, Trogaar jumps out of the smoke unscathed and grabs Starfire in a chokehold, slamming her into the ground. Struggling to break free, Starfire finally knocks Trogaar away with a starbolt punch.

Meanwhile, both Iron Man and Robin recover from their crash. "This fight's getting us nowhere," Robin says, "We need to disable the cannon."

[Leave that to me.] Iron Man flies off to the control panel, leaving Robin behind the debris. Iron Man's spot is soon taken by Cyborg, who gets flung into the corner by his opponents. During the landing, the panels on his right arm pop up, revealing the circuitry inside.

Robin notices this. "Can you rewire that into some sort of weapon?" he asks his metal partner.

Cyborg looks at his arm. "I can try."

Iron Man meanwhile arrives at the control panel for the laser cannon. [Alright. Time to work my magic.] He starts hacking into the computer system, which was more complex than most Earth systems. Luckily, Iron Man is used to working with complex machinery.

Trogaar, meanwhile, has Starfire in his grasp again. He cocks his fist back to drive right into the Tamaranean's face. He's distracted, however, when he notices the red and gold Earthling messing with his cannon. Trogaar throws the alien girl away and stomps towards the armored one.

[Just…about…] Iron Man murmurs as he types furiously at the monitor in front of him. Finally, he sees the countdown reverse itself back to start before shutting off. The lights on the cannon recede back to the base. For Iron Man, this was time to celebrate. [HELL YEAH! WOO! WHO'S THE NUMBER ONE HACKER IN THE GALAXY?! THAT'S RIGHT! HIS NAME IS TO-] His celebration is interrupted by the growling of an extremely furious alien warlord right next to him. […howdy.]

"You insolent little maggot!" Trogaar snarls, "This changes nothing. I will personally crush every last one of you _heroes_ until you're nothing but worm food. And then I will turn your entire planet into a smoldering-"

[Sorry, I really hate to cut you off midstream,] Iron Man interjects sarcastically, [but it just occurred to me that I never gave you a proper Jump City welcome. So, with that in mind…]

A powering-up sound draws Trogaar's attention to the light coming from Iron Man's chest, which glows brighter than before. The lizard lord has no time to prepare as a huge repulsor beam shoots out of Iron Man's chest and burns right into the alien, leaving a blinding light and a ton of smoke. When the light dims and the smoke clears, everyone not Iron Man is shocked to see a large burn trail leading to a smoldering (but surprisingly still breathing) Trogaar. All of the witnesses turn their attention to the armored hero who caused the damage.

Iron Man just tilts his head. [What? He's still alive, isn't he?]

The other Gordanians still conscious become enraged at the defeat of their mighty lord. They charge at Iron Man to exact revenge. Their efforts are thwarted by Raven, who appears in a portal between them and their target with a cold fury in her eyes.

"Get away from my friends! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The sorceress expels her energy all around her, destroying most of the bridge and knocking out her enemies. This causes the ship to spiral out of control and crash land into Jump City Bay next to the lonely island.

The six heroes slowly recover from the crash and check themselves for injuries. They notice that the ship is slightly sunk into the water but is surprisingly less damaged than expected.

Iron Man turns to the girl that saved his hide. [So…you're complicated.]

"Pretty much," Raven says with a smirk.

[I can work with that.] Iron Man says with some mirth in his voice. The two teens hear movement next to them. They turn to see a Gordanian soldier still conscious and ready to eviscerate them both. [Oh, give me a break,] Iron Man grumbles. Their demise is stopped by a blue-and-white beam that knocks out the Gordanian. Everyone's eyes are on Cyborg, who's right arm has now become a sonic cannon.

"Alright, I'm only gonna say this once. Booyah!"

**Time skip: The next morning. **

**Location: Island, Jump City Bay**

The sun is just peeking over the horizon, casting an angelic light over Jump City. Iron Man, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven take in the scene in front of them on the island shore, ignoring the smoldering ruins of the Gordanian ship.

"That's quite a view," Raven comments.

"Someone should think about building a house out here," Cyborg adds.

"Yeah, if you like sunshine and the beach," Beast Boy jokes as he nudges Raven, getting a surprising giggle from the goth girl. This makes the Green Bean's smile widen as he turns to Iron Man. "What about you? Ever thought about making a vacation home here?"

[Well, now that you mention it-]

Iron Man is interrupted by the presence of the final member of the group. Everyone turns to look at Starfire, who has changed her outfit since last night. The headpiece is gone, along with most of the armor. She now wears a purple sleeveless top, a purple miniskirt, and purple boots. The only armor left on her is her metal gauntlets and her belt.

"Please," she asks nervously, "I look…nice?"

"Absolutely," Robin says immediately, gaining knowing looks from his other colleagues.

Starfire's smile widens. "I wish to ask permission to remain here, where the people are most strange, but also most kind."

"You don't need our permission," Raven states.

"But if you want our friendship, you've got it," Robin adds.

"I gotta say, we make a pretty good team," Beast Boy points out.

[I couldn't agree more, Beast Machine,] Iron Man says, gaining a grin from Beast Boy for the nickname, [In fact, I was wondering if you guys would be up for making this a more permanent thing.]

Everyone's attention is on him now. "Seriously?" Raven asks speculatively, "I'm not exactly the hero type."

[I respectfully disagree,] Iron Man responds. [You, me, all of us did amazing work last night. Sure, there were a few bumps when we first met, but we pulled ourselves together and saved millions of people. Just imagine what we can do for this city on a regular basis. And hey, I can take all that scrap behind me and make a base for us in no time.

Robin's eyebrow raised through this mask. "I didn't think you were a team-player."

[Oh, you've got a long way to go before figuring me out, Boy Wonder.] Robin's eyes narrow at this, but Iron Man ignores it. [Besides, this will be a new experience for all of us. So, what do you guys think? You with me?]

"Absolutely!" Yes from Beast Boy.

"Totally." Yes from Cyborg.

"Glorious!" Yes from Starfire.

"… I've got nothing better to do, anyway." Okay from Raven.

All heads turn to Robin, who has a contemplative look on his face. He finally gives in. "Alright, I'll try it out," he says with a smile, getting cheers from those around him.

"This will be awesome! Partners with Iron Man!" Beast Boy exclaims.

[Please, Iron Man is just my stage name.] Latches and hisses can be heard from Iron Man's neck area. The Armored Avenger then reaches up and pulls off his helmet. What's underneath the helmet gets a star-struck look from Beast Boy and blushes on the two girls' faces. The scowling metal head is replaced by a tanned smiling face with spikey sun-blond hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and three whisker marks on each cheek.

"My real name is Anthony Edward Stark," The teenager introduces himself with a grin, "Call me Tony."

**[Insert End Theme: Teen Titans End Credits]**

**AN: And cut! There you have it folks! Jump City is saved, the Teen Titans have assembled, and Tony Stark… has blond hair? Obviously, canon has been ejected out of the plane on this one. Just what changes have been made here? And how much of an impact will they have on the residents of three universes. Find out on later episodes of Iron Man: Titanic Adventures!**

**Anyways, now that I'm back, I'll be hard at work not only with continuing my past stories, but also with introducing new ones. **

**As for my old stories, losing my notes on them means it'll take a while redoing them in order to get back on track. This isn't really a problem for ****Spectrum Master**** and ****Shinobi of Jump City**** since I was honestly winging it for those two, but it is a problem for ****Pacific Rim: New Generation****. I put a lot of work designing the Jaegers, Kaiju, character team-ups, and so on, and to have all that work gone was seriously heartbreaking. So I'll be continuing those stories, but it will take me a while to redo the designs and such.**

**In the meantime, I'll also be popping out some new stories that came to me these past few years. I'll also be offering some challenges for you fellow writers based on some ideas that I know I won't be able to get to.**

**Which brings me to this next topic: PLEASE HELP ME!**

**Let me explain; I have an idea for an Anime Cinematic Universe. This means that I'll have multiple anime shows occurring in one reality. One Earth. I'll be making many tweaks and changes, of course, but "generally", the anime and plotlines involved will be recognizable. And it would all culminate into an elite team of heroes defending the world from evil, which I'm gonna call "Justice Force".**

**I would have called them "Jump Force", but it's already taken (lol).**

**The problem, however, is that I'm undecided how to structure the whole thing. Here's my three options:**

**Option A: Take a regular old Earth and add in a whole bunch of anime. For example, Naruto takes place in an uncharted landmass in the Dragon's Triangle near Japan, Akame Ga Kill takes place in a small country in Europe, and so on. And they all interact together in many storylines, eventually leading to the creation of "Justice Force". Completely from scratch.**

**Option B: Same as Option A, but instead of a regular Earth, use a DC world as the base. I'm thinking of using Young Justice as the base. Not as original as Option A, but it would be easier to work with given that there are many supernatural elements and storylines already in existence in a DC World. They would just have a few anime additions.**

**Option C: This option is different from the other two, in that instead of adding a whole bunch of anime worlds into a single Earth, I take a whole bunch of OCs from a regular Earth, drop them into random worlds using mystical portals, and then have them return with incredible powers, abilities, and skills. I got the idea from watching a lesser-known anime called Aesthetic of a Rogue Hero. I wasn't a fan of the show itself due to the large amount of fanservice, but the whole premise of people leaving and coming back with powers definitely interested me. Some of those people will return as villains, some will be heroes, some will be somewhere in between. There'll be an international agency that monitors and governs these interdimensional portals and the people that return from them called the P.R.D. (Portal Response Division) or something like that. And, of course, there'll be a "Justice Force".**

**So, those are my three options for my Anime World story. I'll be going on vacation for the next twelve days or so, during which I'll do some story work. Hopefully, when I get back, there'll be plenty of suggestions from you guys on how to move forward with this project. Please decide which of the ideas I should go for so I can have some peace of mind! Thank you!**

**Dropareviewifyoucanflamerswillbeignored.**


	2. Some Assembly Required

**And I'm back! I managed to get the majority of this written during my trip to Borneo. Luckily, the flights were pretty lengthy for me to just type away.**

**I'm really happy about the amount of positivity for my newest story! That positivity fueled my writing process, and I hope that I get that and more for this second chapter.**

**And with that, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: This author does not own the properties of Naruto, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics (unfortunately). This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.**

"Hello there!": Speech.

'_What a drag'_: Thoughts.

[I am Iron Man!]: Mechanical Speech

**The Earth is Mine!**: Monster/Demon Speech

**Let'sgetiton!**

Chapter 2

Some Assembly Required

**Location: Jump City**

Two days have passed since the Gordanians launched their attack on Jump City, only to be defeated by a group of teenage superheroes. After much rejoicing from the citizens, the city began to repair itself. Currently, construction crews are finishing repairs on the many roads and buildings that were damaged during the ordeal, including Pizza Plaza. Meanwhile, the people continue on with their daily lives. However, if you could listen to the people's conversations, you would hear some excited chatter.

"Iron Man saved us again!"

"Yeah! I wish I could have recorded it!"

"Yeah, but what about the other guys with him? They were pretty cool too!"

"Was that the REAL Boy Wonder? Shouldn't he be in Gotham?"

"Yo, that robot dude looked badass!"

"I'm a big fan of that bombshell alien girl!"

"Of course, you would be, mega-pervert."

"Hey!"

All this and more can be heard on the streets of Jump City, as the citizens discuss just where Tony Stark was going to take this new team, or if he even would.

**Location: City Hall**

Said billionaire is currently in a meeting with the second most powerful man in Jump City. The blond teenager is dressed in a fancy Italian suit as he negotiates an extremely important deal with the Mayor of Jump City.

"So, yeah, that's my proposal," Tony Stark offers, "Jump City has an island that no one is using, and I have a ton of alien technology just waiting to be used. All I need is 5-6 days and I'll have the home base up and running, and then you, my good sir, will have a team of incredibly adept superheroes at the city's beck and call." Tony pauses as he notices his audience is deep in thought. "Is there a problem, Mayor Lee?"

The older, mustached, and bespectacled man in front of Tony chuckles good-naturedly. "No problem at all. I was just thinking; if someone told me three years ago that there would be superheroes in Jump City, I'd say they were looney! And now, I've got six wanting to call this city home. I guess I was the looney one after all." The man then shakes his head. "And for goodness sake, Tony, you know you don't need to call me 'Mayor Lee'. I get enough of that here in the office."

Tony smiles at his friend. "Alright then, Stan, what do you think?"

"I think there's only one thing left to settle; what's the name for this group of yours?" Stan asks.

Tony rubs his hands nervously and says, "I'm, uh, still working that part out. You got any ideas?"

Stan raises his hands. "Oh, I don't think I'm good with names."

"Well, you're the one who came up with 'Iron Man'. That was catchy. Although technically, the armor's made of a gold-titanium alloy," Tony says, muttering the last part under his breath.

"Well, what kind of a message are you trying to send about your team?" Stan asks.

Tony thinks for a few moments. _What do I want the world to know about us?_ Eventually, he has his answer.

"We're young. Hopeful. Ambitious. We care about the people around us. We value our comrades. And when we put our minds and powers together, we are an unstoppable force of justice. So, if any villain comes to our city and expects a group of inexperienced kids, they've got another thing coming."

"Young, yet powerful," Stan ponders, "How about, the 'Teen Titans'?"

Tony gets a bright grin on his face as he slaps his hands together. "YES! That's what I'm talking about! That's what gets you my vote, Stan the Man!"

Stan laughs as he stands up and offers his hand to Tony. "In that case, I officially recognize the Teen Titans as Jump City's protectors."

Tony shakes the offered hand. "You won't regret this, Stan. Believe it."

**(Insert Theme Song: Teen Titans Theme)**

**Location: Jump City Bay**

**Time Skip: 5 days later**

"Tony? Cyborg? How long do we have to wear these blindfolds?" Robin asks.

"Yeah, dudes! All this waiting is killing me!" Beast Boy complains.

"Oh, I am most anxious to see this surprise you have for us, my friends!" Starfire exclaims.

"Can we get this over with already?" Raven groans.

"Alright, alright," Cyborg relents, "Go ahead and take them off."

The four non-mechanical Titans all take off their blindfolds and slowly let their eyes adjust to the light. What they see gets an assortment of "ooohs", "aaahs", and wide eyes from the four, along with a satisfied smile from Cyborg.

A massive T-shaped tower sits smack-dab in the middle of the island. It's a metal structure with the entire front and back of the building covered in glass panels. The front faces Jump City Bridge, giving those inside a spectacular view of the city.

Iron Man approaches the starstruck group, his helmet retracted. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Titans Tower." He jerks his head to the structure. "Come on. We'll give you the grand tour."

**Location: Titans Tower, Front Entrance**

Iron Man and Cyborg enter the tower, their four teammates following close behind. Iron Man looks to the ceiling. "Jarvis! You up?"

A posh mechanical voice responds, [For you, sir, always.]

"Dude! We've got a robot butler?!" Beast Boy exclaims.

"First off, Jarvis is more complex than any robot," Iron Man corrects, "Second, he's not a butler. He's the guy in charge of security, communications, crime monitoring, and, most importantly, water and electric. All in all, he's just a really very interesting system. Hence, Jarvis. Say hello to the team, Jarvis."

[Welcome to Titans Tower] Four mechanical arms reach out to the four newcomers. Each arm holds a yellow and black badge and a silver and red card. [Here are your official Teen Titans Communicator Badges, as well as your Tower Access Keycards.]

"Cool," Robin says with a smile as he and the other three each grab a badge and keycard.

"I am most thankful to you, Friend Jarvis!" Starfire says gleefully.

[Most welcome, Ms. Starfire,] Jarvis responds.

"On with the tour!" Iron Man declares.

**Location: Garage**

"Here's the garage, where we'll keep all of our awesome butt-kicking vehicles," Cyborg explains, gesturing to a wide, empty room filled with rows of tools and multiple mechanical arms sticking out of the ground and ceiling.

"Nice!" says Robin, "This'll be perfect for my motorbike."

Cyborg rubs his hands together in glee. "Oh, I've got some plans for this place."

**Location: Security Room**

"Here's the main security hub for the tower," Iron Man states as he shows of the room filled with monitoring screens and control panels. At the center is a pillar covered in wires and buttons.

Beast Boy reaches for one of the buttons, but Iron Man slaps his hand away.

"NO TOUCHY!"

"Sorry."

**Location: Trophy Room**

Iron Man waves his hand at a room filled with rows of empty glass cases. "Here is where we'll keep our trophies from all the bad guys we beat." Iron Man smirks. "I plan on having this room filled to the brim. Who knows? We might even get our own museum."

"Your humility astounds us," Raven quips.

"Why, thank you."

**Location: Living Room/Kitchen**

Cyborg leads the other Titans through the sliding metal doors into a spacious area. "And here is our second favorite room in the whole house."

Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire gawk, while Raven widens her eyes. To their right is a fully stocked, modern kitchen. In front of them is an entertainment center complete with a long, half-circular couch, a coffee table, and a massive HD television with a STARK logo at the bottom. And behind that TV is a large glass window, showing Jump City in all her glory.

Naturally, Beast Boy makes a beeline to the TV while Starfire flies to the kitchen, leaving the other four Titans behind.

Robin turns to Iron Man. "Just for curiosity's sake, how much did this cost you?"

Iron Man shrugs. "Meh. I didn't really think about it that much."

[Factoring in the alien technology, and considering labor and equipment usage, the total cost is around $33 million,] Jarvis answers.

"…Worth it."

"KYAAAAH!" Beast Boy screams from across the room. "Is this the new STARK Gamestar 3?! This thing isn't even for sale yet!"

"My friends! This yellow beverage is simply divine!" Starfire calls out from the kitchen.

"That's mustard, Starfire." Robin clarifies.

"Glorious!"

Raven approaches Iron Man and Cyborg. "You said this is your second favorite room. What's the favorite?"

Both mechanical Titans grin and say two words.

"Danger Room!"

**Location: Danger Room**

Turrets shoot lasers at Robin, who ducks, dodges, and flips past all of them. He pulls out his birdarangs and throws them at the guns, disabling them in a multitude of explosions.

Above him, a swarm of drones chase Starfire, who flies around the room evading their blasts. Eventually, she gets behind them and destroys them with her starbolts.

Below her, Cyborg is busy grappling with a set of steel jaws trying to crush him into scrap. With his superior strength, he breaks free, then uses his sonic cannon to blast the jaws away.

Nearby, Raven uses her levitation to weave her way through a passageway full of buzz saws. She gets to the end, then turns to see the saws coming right for her. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A burst of her dark magic tears the saws apart.

ROOOAAAR! Raven's attention is turned to a green T-Rex surrounded by traps. The dinosaur stomps, bites, and tears through every last one of them. When there's nothing but scrap around him, he transforms back into his human form and turns to the observation room.

"Looks like your Danger Room isn't so dangerous after all!" Beast Boy shouts cockily.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, string-bean," Iron Man calls out, "That was just Level One. Of Ten." He joins the others on the Danger Room floor. "I've got plenty of simulations loaded in the mainframe. Invasions, hostage negotiations, killer robots, you name it. Every last one of us is gonna be put through the ringer. Jump City expects the best of the best, and that's exactly what we're gonna give them. Are you all with me?!"

Iron Man gets a round of cheers (and a nod from Raven). He claps his hands. "Alright then, team! I'll show you all your rooms – Raven, I made sure yours has no windows and no electrical lights whatsoever – and then we'll bust out some practice drills! Alright, let's get a move on!" Iron Man does a 180 spin and heads towards the door.

"Hold up! Who says _you're_ in charge?"

SKRRRRT! Iron Man screechs to a halt mid-step. His head slowly turns like an old, rusty door to regard the Boy Wonder.

"Whosaywhatnow?"

"You heard me. What gives you the right to just make yourself the leader of this team?" Robin demands, disregarding the fact that the rest of the team is slowly inching away from the caped hero.

Iron Man turns back around and walks towards Robin while listing off his fingers. "Well, let's see; the Teen Titans contract is under my name, I pay for everything, I helped build our headquarters, I pay for everything, I already have a good reputation with the populace, did I mention I pay for everything?"

"It's not all about the money, Stark!" Robin argues.

"Of course not," Tony agrees, stopping right in front of the costumed crusader, "It's about building trust. It's about learning your comrades' strengths and weaknesses and working the team dynamics around them. It involves patience, compromise, cooperation, and a whole lot of handholding at first. Above all else, it's knowing in the back of your mind that if anything at all should happen to the team, it's on YOUR conscience." Iron Man leans towards Robin. "Tell me, Robin – and be honest with me – do you believe you're ready to handle such a heavy responsibility?"

"Of course, I'm ready!" Robin claims.

Iron Man raises an eyebrow.

Robin looks unsure. "I-I mean…"

Iron Man tilts his head to the side.

Robin sighs and hangs his head.

Iron Man puts his hand on Robin's shoulder and says, "Look, if it makes you feel better – and no offense to the others – but I believe that you're the most qualified to be a leader apart from yours truly. That's why I'm making you second-in-command of the team."

Robin lifts his head in surprise. "Really?"

"Hey! Why is _he_ second-in-command?" Beast Boy demands, "Why not me?"

"You're kidding, right?" Raven deadpans.

"She beat me by one second," Iron Man mutters as Starfire comforts the sulking green elf.

Robin scowls again and turns away from Iron Man. "This just sounds like I'm your subordinate."

Iron Man sighs. "Okay, let me just say right off the bat – no pun intended. I'm. Not. Batman." Robin's eyes narrow as the armored hero continues, "Now I don't know how it works in Batman Inc., but I don't have subordinates on this team. I have teammates. Comrades. People I trust and get along with. Fellow teenagers who I'd like to go out and have pizza with and have some crazy fun at dance parties. You know, friends."

Robin loses his scowl and replaces it with a look of disbelief.

Iron Man places both hands on Robin's shoulders and says, "I know that it's going to take a while for me to earn your trust and your friendship, but I'm willing to put in 150% effort in order to do so. That is, if you'll let me."

Robin looks at the blond young man's face and sees genuine hopefulness in his eyes and smile. Meanwhile, the rest of group looks on in apprehension, waiting to hear what The Boy Wonder would say. Eventually, he turns away with an unsure look.

"I, um, I'd like to go and see my room. By myself," Robin says shyly.

Iron Man pats Robin's shoulder reassuringly. "Of course. Jarvis, please show him the way."

[As you wish, sir,] Jarvis responds as he opens the door to the Danger Room. [Mr. Robin, please take a left at the door, and we'll work our way from there.]

Robin heads for the door. He stops at the exit and turns to his worried teammates, then sighs and continues through the doorway, leaving behind a room filled with damaged machinery and concerned faces.

**Location: Robin's Room**

[Here are your living quarters, Mr. Robin,] Jarvis says as Robin steps through the sliding doorway. The boy looks at the spartan room, taking note of a bed, a work desk, a closet, and no windows. [If you wish for any alterations or decorations, please make a list and I will forward it to Mr. Stark. Is there anything else I can assist you with at this time?]

"No. No, I'm fine for now," Robin says as he looks up at where the voice is coming from, "And thank you for your help, Jarvis."

[My pleasure, sir,] Jarvis responds.

Robin is left in a silent room. He walks over and sits on the bed, his mind reeling as he fully takes his current state of affairs.

_Am I able to be part of this team? Do I really want to be part of a team? Can I work with Tony Stark of all people? Will…will he be like Bruce?_ These are all the thoughts that go through Robin's skull. He groans as he holds his head in his hands, trying to figure out what he truly wants to do with his future.

**Location: Living Room/Kitchen**

Two hours later, the rest of the team is in the living room, getting it prepared for six superpowered teenagers. Tony is helping Beast Boy and Cyborg set up the game system. The blond genius is now out of his armor and rocking an Aerosmith T-shirt, with a blue circular glow coming from behind the shirt. Starfire is stocking the fridge, taking the time to marvel at all of the strange Earth cuisine. Raven is sipping tea while reading a book on the couch.

Raven turns to Tony and asks, "You think you were a little hard on Robin back in the Danger Room?"

Tony shrugs. "I just figured he needed to know what being the leader of a team really meant." He turns to Cyborg. "Alright, now the connector cords go here, here, and here."

Cyborg plugs the cords for the Gamestar into the TV and says, "I didn't know you were part of a superhero team."

"We weren't superheroes by any stretch of the imagination, but I was part of a team, for a while anyways," Tony responds, "Let's just say I got a real first-hand look at what not to do as a leader." He smiles as the Gamestar lights up. "Aaand we're golden."

"Sweet! I call Player 1!" Beast Boy shouts excitedly as he claims a controller.

"I am very worried about Friend Robin," Starfire calls out from the kitchen, "He was most distraught when he left us hours ago."

"He'll be fine," Tony reassures Starfire, "He just needs time to get used to all of this. It must have been hard working with the _Batman_ of all people."

Cyborg notices the disdain in Tony's voice when mentioning the Caped Crusader. "You got a history with that guy or something?"

Tony replies, "I've had some encounters with the Bat before. None of them were what I would call pleasant."

"I knew it! You _do_ have a rivalry with Batman!" Beast Boy cries.

"Not really a rivalry, but more of a…" Tony explains, "Back-and-forth thing – yeah it's a rivalry."

Starfire floats over to the couch. "Who is this "Man of Bat" you speak of? I know he is the mentor of Friend Robin."

Cyborg explains, "Batman's the main crimefighter in Gotham City, and one of the founders of the Justice League. He doesn't have any superpowers, but he's got hi-tech gear, expert martial arts, and detective skills to get the job done. He's taken down a lot of villains in his career."

Starfire asks Tony, "And you said you have a rivalry with this person? Did he besmirch your name?"

"Nah, though he does think of me as a loose-cannon," Tony replies, "Especially after that interview I did."

Beast Boy gasps. "You mean…"

"Yep. _That_ interview." Tony notices Starfire's confused look and explains, "It happened very early on in my superhero career. Both Tony Stark and Iron Man were relatively new to the area, and people were getting curious about us. Then, I took down a villain called the Iron Monger right in front of Stark Industries. Needless to say, people wanted answers. So I called a press conference to clarify things.

**Flashback: 1 Year Earlier**

**Location: Stark Industries Foyer**

A large crowd of reporters and cameramen are gathered together in the main foyer of the Stark Industries headquarters. Idle chatter can be heard, mainly about the rising star in the tech industry Tony Stark, and his possible connections to the mysterious yet powerful Iron Man.

In the next room, Tony is adjusting his clothing and hair. Next to him is a redheaded woman in a business blouse holding a clipboard. This is Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Tony's secretary and second-in-command of Stark Industries.

"How am I looking, Pepper?" Tony asks.

"Professional. For once," Pepper jokes before giving Tony a critical look. "So, your alibi."

"Right. I was in my yacht, having a business meeting with a foreign emissary about a tech deal, and was far away from Stark Industries during the battle," Tony recites.

"And Iron Man?"

"Is my new Chief of Security."

"You have your notecard if you need help. And I can always –"

Tony interrupts, "Pepper, relax. I can handle a press conference. This is me we're talking about here."

Pepper smiles and ruffles Tony's hair. "That's what I'm worried about."

"Hey!" Tony cries as he redoes his hair, "You shouldn't be doing that to your boss, you know!"

Pepper chuckles as an aide approaches the two. "Mr. Stark, when you're ready."

"Go get 'em, boss," Pepper encourages the blond teenager.

Said teenager gives a confident smile and two thumbs up as he walks into the foyer. Immediately, cameras flash as shouts and calls from reporters fill the room. Among the crowd of journalists is the Daily Planet's renowned reporter Lois Lane, along with her cameraman Jimmy Olson and her backup Clark Kent.

Tony stops at the podium and calls out, "Alright everyone, settle down! Settle down, please!" The audience quiets down and everyone takes a seat. "Thank you all for coming. Welcome to Stark Industries. There's been a lot of rumors going around about the events that took place here at this company. Therefore, I've called this press conference to clear up any misunderstandings and give the people the official truth." Tony pauses as he sees someone raising their hand. "I don't think we're taking questions right now, Miss –"

"Lois Lane. Daily Planet. Do you honestly expect us to believe that Iron Man is some sort of super-powered bodyguard of yours?" Lois interrogates.

"I'm sorry, but are you insinuating that I'm some kind of superhero?" Tony asks.

Lois raises an eyebrow. "I didn't insinuate anything like that."

"Good, because that would be completely untrue and slanderous," Tony says, "I'm just not the superhero type. Really."

Lois sits down, unsatisfied with Tony's answer. Next to her, Clark gives the blond tech mogul a contemplative look.

Tony clears his throat and continues, "Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, the truth." Tony looks at his notecard. "The truth is…"

Every other person in the room leans forward in anticipation. Pepper looks on nervously from the other room. Across the country, millions of people are tuned in to the interview. Even big names such as Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne want to hear what Tony Stark claims to be the truth. And Tony… sighs.

_Pepper's gonna kill me._ Tony puts down the notecard. "The truth is…" Tony looks at the crowd of reporters. "…I am Iron Man."

Immediately, a roar of shock and excitement erupts as reporters blind the blond teenager with camera flashes and shout questions at him. The uproar is so massive that it drowns out the loud groan of frustration from a certain redhead. And Tony takes it all in with a satisfied smile on his face.

**End Flashback**

"Yeah, pretty sure that was the starting point of everything," Tony says to the now fully attentive group of teenagers.

Beast Boy laughs and says, "I saw that interview with my friends at the Doom Patrol. Man, you should have seen their faces!"

"I am confused. You told the truth about yourself. You took responsibility for your actions. Why would people be upset about that?" Starfire asks.

"It's an unspoken rule in the superhero community to not reveal your real identity," Cyborg explains, "Your hero persona and the real you should be as separate as possible. Otherwise, you run the risk of villains attacking your home and your loved ones."

Beast Boy chips in, "And then Tony Stark comes along and says to the world, 'Hey! I'm Iron Man. Here's my address and work schedule. Come pick a fight with me if you dare!'"

"That's actually not far from the truth," Tony admits, "And honestly, it was much easier when people knew that the teenage technologist CEO and the armored, hi-tech protector of Jump City were one and the same. My reputation skyrocketed, I was getting clients left and right, and I wasn't really pushed around by my competitors. Anyway, a couple of months go by of building up my company and fighting crime as Iron Man, and I get a visit from a certain group of heroes."

**Flashback: 10 Months Earlier**

**Location: Vinny's Donut Shop**

Tony munches on a Boston Crème as he sits in the middle of the donut sign, fully armored and rocking a pair of aviators. He has an entire box of pastries beside him as he takes in the sun setting behind the city he calls home. Today was a pretty quiet day, with just a stolen car and no business meetings. Tony's pretty thankful for the quiet. Iron Man had taken down an ice villain calling himself the Blizzard a couple of days ago and things were settling down. Now, the thankful people are quietly getting on with their lives, and Tony can catch a breather. So here he is, eating some delicious donuts and enjoying the serenity for as long as he can.

"Excuse me sir."

Tony turns to regard the voice, and sees a black-haired man floating near him. The man is wearing a blue mesh suit with red boots, and a red cape. On his chest is a yellow diamond with a red S on it.

"We're going to have to ask you to step out of the donut," Superman requests.

Tony pulls down his shades to look at the group of costumed people behind Superman. He thinks to himself, _so much for relaxing_.

A minute later, and both Superman and Tony Stark are in the donut shop's parking lot, the latter holding the box of donuts. Next to them are some prominent members of the Justice League.

First is Wonder Woman, wearing a star-spangled leotard and sporting her metal tiara, her indestructible armbands, and her Lasso of Truth. Then there's The Flash, Fastest Man Alive, in his scarlet full-body speed suit. Next is a beaming Captain Marvel, dressed in a suit similar to Superman's, except it's red with white boots, a white cape, and a yellow lightning bolt on his chest. Next to him is the green alien known as Martian Manhunter, wearing only a blue cape with red harnesses in an X fashion on his chest and a pair of blue trousers. Last, but not least, is the Batman, with his gray suit and his black cowl, cape, belt, boots, and gloves. The Dark Knight is giving Tony a look that can melt steel beams.

Tony offers the group the box and says, "I don't know if you guys ate yet, but I've got glazed, maple bars, lemon filled –"

FSWOOM! FSHWOOM!

…

Multiple heads turn to see Flash and Captain Marvel gorging themselves on handfuls of donuts.

"… Help yourselves," Tony mutters, "So, what brings the Justice League here to Jump City?"

"You," Batman responds shortly.

Tony rolls his eyes. "Okay, let me rephrase; what brings the Justice League here to me?"

"We wish to get to know you better, Tony Stark," Wonder Woman replies, "You're new to the superhero community, and we in the League are more than curious about who you are as a crime-fighter and as a person."

Tony shrugs. "Seems fine to me. What do you guys want to know?"

Batman doesn't hesitate to ask, "Where are you from?"

"Japan," Tony answers.

"Where in Japan?" Batman presses.

"You wouldn't know the place," Tony deflects.

"You're testing my patience, Stark," Batman growls.

"Batman. Enough," Superman orders. He turns to Tony and asks, "Why become Iron Man in the first place?"

"Iron Man was already a little pet project of mine," Tony explains, "Just something to mess around with. I noticed the amount of crime that goes on here in Jump City, and I figured I could use Iron Man to do some good around the community."

"So, you made Iron Man to help people?" Flash asks the armored teenager while he wolfs down a pastry.

"Pretty much," Tony confirms.

"And I'm sure the adoration of your fans has nothing to do with it," Batman accuses.

"It's called being likable, Batsy," Tony fires back, "You should try it sometime."

Batman steps forward to give Tony the third degree, but Wonder Woman stops him. "Batman! You promised."

"I have a question!" Captain Marvel pipes up, a half-eaten donut in his hand, "You said you're Japanese, right? Tony Stark doesn't exactly sound Japanese."

"It's not," Tony answers, "I had my name changed when I came to America."

"How come?" Flash asks.

Tony shrugs again. "Long story short, I needed a fresh start."

"We wouldn't mind hearing the whole story," Superman requests.

"Well, I do mind, thank you very much," Tony answers shortly as he raises a hand to the group, "Look guys, as much fun as it is to play 20 Questions with you all, I'm sure there's some really important thing you all want to know?"

Silence fills the parking lot before Superman sighs and says, "Fine. Why did you reveal your secret identity to the world?"

"Because it was the honest, straightforward, and more manageable thing to do," Tony responds.

"What do you mean by that?" Wonder Woman inquires.

Tony explains, "I mean that it was much better for me and everyone else to just straight up tell the people the truth about me being Iron Man than it was for me to make up some bullshit excuse." Captain Marvel gasps at the swearing. "I mean, the best possible excuse was for Iron Man to be my bodyguard, and people would have seen through that in two weeks."

"But aren't you worried that you've painted a target on yourself and the people you care about?" Flash questions the teen.

"We already have targets on our backs," Seeing the Leaguers' looks, he clarifies, "I plan on having Stark Industries be at the forefront of both the technological field and the environmental one. Cleaner energy, gasless cars, trash cleanup, ocean conservation, climate stabilization, smartphones, helping lower-income communities, safe orphanages, space travel, space colonization; all of this and more is going to be the focus of what my company makes. I plan on making a better world for everyone, and that's gonna make a whole lot of enemies. At least now, people will know that I'm not the kind of guy you push around and put down. I am more than willing to fight for my convictions."

Superman's respect for the blonde technologist rises a bit at his words. Nevertheless, he gets some final words in. "Look, we're not condemning your choice, Mr. Stark. We're just saying that you could have at least put some effort into not exposing yourself."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I currently don't have any magical reading glasses to help me," Tony quips.

"They're not magic. They're Kryptonian te–" Superman stops as he and the other Leaguers process the teenager's words. "W-What did you just say?"

"You know, it's funny," Tony says, pointing at the shocked alien, "I saw you at the interview and I kept thinking to myself, 'I know I've seen this guy before, but where?' It wasn't until I saw a picture of you in the Daily Planet that it finally clicked. I guess the glasses only work when people are physically looking at you. Do you have a patent for those – URK!"

Tony finds himself in the very tight grip of a very paranoid and upset Kryptonian. Superman glares at the blonde, his hands creaking the armor slightly. The rest of the group moves in to diffuse the situation.

"Listen to me very carefully, young man," Superman demands like a father reprimanding their child, "You do not let this go out to anyone else whatsoever. Do you understand me?!"

Tony remains calm as he raises his hands in a placating manner. "Easy, Big Blue. Take it easy. I was just making a comment about a connection I made. I have absolutely no plans involving your secret identity. I promise." His words calm Superman down somewhat and make the alien release his grip. "I'm serious here! You're a good man doing good work for the world. Why would I possibly jeopardize that by messing around with your true identity?"

Superman opens his mouth to answer but closes it. Tony raises an eyebrow at this. He turns to his side to take another look at the group of powerful superheroes. His eyes widen in realization at what the group was really here for.

He turns to the now guilty-looking alien with an offended look on his face. "Wow. Okay…wow! I am really feeling the love here, ladies and gentlemen."

"Mr. Stark, please–"

"No, don't you 'Mr. Stark' me, you pajama-wearing dickhead!" Tony cries out, shocking the rest of the people in the lot, "You didn't come here to get to know me! You came here to find out if I was a villain!"

All of the adults (minus Batman) look down in shame at the teenager's words, confirming his accusations.

"Well, I mean," The Flash tries to explain, "You did make a bit of a spectacle with the whole 'I am Iron Man' thing–"

"And what, you thought it was all one big goddamn publicity stunt?!" Tony grills the speedster, "You thought it was all some nefarious plot to take over the world or something?! Is that why you brought the Lasso of Truth, to force me to spill out all of my deepest, darkest secrets?! Did you bring the Manhunter here to invade my mind and find any of my evil thoughts?! Is Constable Constipation here to interrogate me?!"

Captain Marvel chuckles. "Constable Constipation. Good one!"

"NO! No laughing!" Tony reprimands the lightning-user, "I am NOT in a joking mood right now!"

Captain Marvel gulps. "S-Sorry, Mr. Stark. For the record, I never thought that you were a bad guy. I just really wanted to meet you."

"You're forgiven," Tony says to the red-and-white hero before turning to the rest of the Leaguers, "You all are still on my shit-list."

"Please, let's just take a minute and calm down," Wonder Woman says, trying to placate the irate teenager.

Tony is having none of it. "You all have wasted plenty of my time as it is." Tony then walks right into the crowd of heroes and asks, "You really want to know who I am? Let me tell you all one time. I am NOT Lex Luthor. I am NOT Norman Osborne. I am TONY. FUCKING. STARK! I! AM! IRON MAN! I am the one who is going to clean up the Planet Earth! I am the one who is going to get the world off of fossil fuels! I am the one who is going to solve the energy crisis! I am the one who is going to help humanity conquer space! I am going to be the greatest hero the world has ever known! And I don't give a damn what you people think of me! I swear that I am going to save the world, with or without you! Believe it!"

Dead silence fills the parking lot. Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash have more respect for the young technologist after hearing his passionate promise. Martian Manhunter is feeling content at having sensed no deception from the teenager's mind. Captain Marvel has a star-struck look aimed at his new idol. And Batman…is still glaring.

Tony huffs and says, "Welp, so much for having some off-time." He hands the box of donuts to Flash. "Here, enjoy yourselves. There's probably a breakroom or something in that Watchtower of yours. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." His helmet closes around his face as he walks away and prepares to blast off.

Superman super-speeds in front of the armored hero. "Iron Man, wait!" Iron Man reluctantly powers down his repulsors as Superman continues, "On the incredibly high probability that you weren't a villain, there were some talks about you joining the Justice League."

[Pass,] Iron Man says without hesitation, [And before you ask, it's not about what just went down – although it really didn't help things. I'm still working out the kinks for Iron Man, and I'm hard at work building up my company. I am not in a position to be part of any team right now. A year from now, maybe, but not now.]

Superman gives a nod and says, "I understand. Just know that the League is more than willing to help if you need it. And, for what it's worth, we're sorry for assuming the worst about you. We all are."

Iron Man gives a side glance to the scowling Caped Crusader. [I'll take your word for it.]

Batman, done with being silent, marches over to the technologist and says, "Let's make one thing clear, Stark. You put one toe over the line, and I'm coming for you." Batman levels his signature Batglare at Iron Man for good measure.

Iron Man tilts his head. [Hmmm.]

"What is it?" Batman demands.

[I was just thinking; Does Batman live in Bruce Wayne's basement, or does Bruce Wayne live in Batman's attic?]

Cue six pairs of wide eyes and six gaping mouths.

[Food for thought.] And with that, Iron Man flies off to Stark Tower, leaving six shocked superheroes behind.

**End Flashback**

"WOAH WOAH WOAH! HOLD UP!" Cyborg exclaims, waving his hands in front of him in surprise, "You're telling me you know Superman AND Batman's secret identities?!"

"Yep. Along with a good portion of the rest of the League," Tony confirms.

"I'm pretty sure Batman didn't just take that last part lying down," Raven comments.

"Well," says Tony, "He did pay me a little visit that night."

**Flashback: 10 Months Earlier**

**Location: Stark Tower Penthouse**

It's a quiet, calm night at Stark Tower. The lights are out in the modern and comfortable lounging area. A circular couch surrounds an unlit fireplace with a TV above it. A minibar is stocked with all manners of drinks. A laptop with a Stark logo sits on a glass table with two monitors attached to it. A wide wall of glass connected with a large, oval, metal balcony gives a spectacular view of the lit-up city below.

The quiet is ruined when a zip-line is heard from outside. A shadowy figure lands on the balcony and approaches the glass door into the building. The figure pulls out a device that unlocks the door.

The figure silently enters the penthouse and scans the lounge with his white eyes. Sure enough, three cameras monitor the room. Three bat-shaped projectiles take the cameras out. The figure then approaches the laptop sitting on the worktable. The figure reaches out to the computer –

BZZZZT!

– only for a blue energy field to spring up in front of the figure's hands.

Immediately, the lights turn on in the room, revealing Batman, in all of his dark glory, trapped in a blue tube of energy.

A posh, British voice speaks from around the room, [I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Wayne, but all Stark systems are off-limits to outsiders, especially intruders.]

Batman pulls out a wrist computer and begins typing furiously, only for the computer to spark and short out.

[That includes remote access as well.]

"Nice work, Jarvis." Batman turns to see Tony Stark descending from a spiral staircase into the room. He's wearing a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.

[Thank you, sir. I've also taken the liberty of notifying the proper authorities. They are currently in route to Stark Tower,] Jarvis states.

"Excellent," Tony says as he stops in front of the detained crime-fighter. He points to the energy field. "Ray shields. Got the idea from watching that Star Wars movie. You know, the one where those guys fight on the lava planet."

Batman is not amused.

Tony crosses his arms and smirks. "So, was it something I said?"

"You do not want me as an enemy, Stark," Batman growls.

"Hey, _you're_ the one that broke into _my_ house here," Tony points out.

"I've known scores of people like you, Tony Stark," Batman states, "People who think they're protected by their wealth and power. People who think that they're above the law. People who do whatever they want without any consideration for the consequences of their actions."

"Like you?" Tony asks.

"_I_ use _my_ wealth and resources to take down criminals and protect my city!" Batman defends.

"Like me?" Tony asks.

"STOP DOING THAT!" Batman demands.

"What? Stop pointing out the fact that apart from my use of bright colors and my cheerful outlook on life, we're pretty much the same?" Tony asks.

Batman bangs on the ray shields in frustration. "WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE! I am a guardian! You are a spoiled, smug brat with money and a superiority complex!"

Tony tilts his head and says, "You know, if _I_ said that same sentence to _you_, it would still make sense."

Batman snarls at the blond teenager. "Snark all you want, Stark. As soon as these shields are down, I'm going to show you just how different we are."

"Really?" Tony inquires, still with a smirk on his face. "Jarvis, lower the ray shields."

[Sir, I believe Mr. Wayne intends to go through with his threat,] Jarvis warns.

"So do I, Jarvis," Tony states, "Lower the shields."

[…As you wish, sir.]

The blue force field dissipates, and Batman immediately springs into action. He charges the teenager and swings with an enraged right hook, which Tony slaps away. Tony swats away a left hook, then hits Batman in the nose with two left jabs and spins behind him. Batman goes for a backhand, but Tony jumps away.

Tony points to Batman's face. "You, uh, got a little red under your nose."

Batman wipes the blood off of his face and charges in again. He goes for a roundhouse kick which Tony ducks under. Tony then jumps to Batman's left backside to avoid an axe kick. He uses his hands as a springboard and launches himself back at the Caped Crusader. Batman turns and is met with two feet crashing into his face. Batman stumbles back into the minibar, clutching his face.

Tony lands gracefully and turns to the groaning Dark Knight with a smirk. "Still got red there."

Batman lets out an enraged roar and rushes the smug blonde. He sends a flurry of fists at Tony, who calmly smacks each one of them away. Batman sends a kick to Tony's side, but Tony catches the leg, kicks out the other leg, crouches down, and sends an elbow down into the side of Batman's knee.

CRACK!

"Gaaaah!" Batman screams from having his knee dislocated. He's so distracted by the pain that he fails to notice the fist heading towards his crotch.

"Hiya!" POW! CRUNCH!

"GOOOOOH!"

POW! POW! POW! Three more punches to the crotch before Tony jumps away, leaving the legendary Dark Knight of Gotham cradling his junk in his hands.

"What? No Bat-cup?" Tony quips.

Batman staggers back to his feet and snaps his leg back straight. He huffs in pain as he glares daggers at the smiling teenager in front of him. Batman goes in with a punch, but Tony crouches down and sweeps Batman's legs out from under him. As Batman falls, Tony jumps and sends a spin kick into Batman's chest, sending the Caped Crusader crashing into the couch.

"I guess I'm not all brains, huh?" Tony taunts the older crimefighter. He makes a subtle motion with his right hand that he hides behind his back. A small rocket sound comes from the bedroom.

Batman crawls off of the couch and back to his feet, not noticing the sound of machinery clicking together. Batman sees Tony from across the room in a stance that has his feet spread shoulder-width apart, his right arm behind his back, and his left arm bent upwards with the palm facing in. Tony smirks and gives the classic "come here" motion with his left hand. Batman takes the bait and charges the blonde. He straight up lunges at Tony with both hands to just throttle the little brat. As Batman flies towards Tony, Tony ducks forward and reveals his right arm.

And the red-and-gold armor encasing it.

_Oh shit._

A rocket booster goes off in the elbow of the armor. Tony pushes off the ground with his legs and send an armored fist straight into Batman's face.

"Shoryuken!" POW! CRUNCH!

Batman flips twice before landing in a heap, his nose shattered, and his mouth filled with blood. He weakly looks up to see Tony Stark pointing his repulsor blaster right at him.

"Wow. You sure showed me," Tony says sarcastically.

Batman spits out a glob full of blood at the teenager.

"I meant what I said before," Tony declares, "I'm going to change this world for the better. You obviously didn't believe my words, so I'll let my actions do the talking for me." Batman rises from the ground as Tony continues, "You're going to watch from your dark little cave as I slowly but surely bring lasting peace to every corner of the planet."

"And if you fail?" Batman grunts out.

"Then I lay the groundwork for future generations to surpass me and fulfill my dreams for me," Tony affirms, "That is my ambition. My Will of Fire."

[Sir, the police are currently in the Tower,] Jarvis speaks up, [They are on their way to the penthouse level as we speak.]

"Welp, guess that's your cue to skedaddle," says Tony.

Batman hobbles over to the technologist until the Caped Crusader is right in his face. "You're going to slip up. You're going to show your true colors. And when you do, I'll finish what you started," Batman declares, the blood on his face giving him a more menacing look.

Tony stares at the beaten-up hero in front of him. "You know, the funny thing is, you were my hero," Tony admits, getting a surprised look from Batman, "I'm serious. When I first heard of the Dark Knight of Gotham, who took down criminals and monsters with just his fists, tech, and wits, that was really inspirational. Especially for a kid who lost every bit of power and purpose he had. I always thought that once I got far enough along into my Iron Man career, that you and I would be teaming up together. A couple of rich do-gooders fighting evil side-by-side, you know?" Tony gives a defeated sigh. "If only I had known how much of an asshole you were."

Batman glares again for a moment, then heads back out to the balcony. "You should get your television fixed," he remarks.

"What's wrong with my television?" Tony asks.

Batman throws a batarang at the TV. An explosion goes off.

"It's broken," Batman quips. He starts to head back out but pauses when the smoke clears from the explosion.

Revealing an intact TV protected by ray shields.

"You were saying?" Tony jokes.

Batman huffs. This was just not his night, apparently. He exits out to the balcony and jumps off. A bat-shaped jet flies off into the distance.

The sound of sliding doors opening makes Tony turn around. Pepper and four police officers enter the room. They see Tony with armor on his arm, a force field around a TV, a messed-up couch, a disheveled minibar, and a pool of blood.

"Um, did we miss something, Mr. Stark?" a police officer asks.

Tony just gives a smile.

**End Flashback**

"So yeah, that was the start of our rivalry," Tony explains, "He hasn't show up in Jump City since then, but he does occasionally hit me up with a friendly computer hacking. Of course, I stop him and send a few computer viruses his way. And that's pretty much been our relationship since then. I hope I didn't bore you guys with my story."

They aren't bored in the slightest. Raven is staring wide-eyed at the blonde, and Starfire has a look of intrigue on her face. Meanwhile, Beast Boy and Cyborg have their eyes bulging out of their sockets, their mouths hanging open with their tongues sticking out, and their noses dripping with a glob of snot. **(A.N. Picture every look of shock in One Piece. Seriously.)**

"Y-You…A-And Batman…A-And You," Beast Boy stammers out.

"You kicked Batman's ass?!" Cyborg cries out.

"Yep. Got it all on video," Tony confirms, "You guys wanna see it?"

Tony suddenly finds himself with a green elf and a half-robot prostrating themselves before him. "WE ARE NOT WORTHY! WE ARE NOT WORTHY! WE ARE NOT WORTHY!"

"Even I have to admit, that was brave of you," Raven comments, "Idiotic, but brave."

"Earth customs are so intriguing!" Starfire states, "On Tamaran, arguments were settled when two warriors fought in the Arena of Garshnath until one was victorious."

"Honestly, I feel like we may get there someday," Tony admits.

"So, you're the one who keeps sending those bugs to the Batcomputer."

Everyone turns to see Robin standing in the kitchen holding a cup of coffee.

"How long were you standing there?" Tony inquires.

Robin takes a sip and answers, "Since Superman freaked out about you knowing his secret identity." He walks over to the group. "Can't say I blame him. A lot of us superheroes take our identities pretty seriously."

"Is that why you won't take off your mask?" Beast Boy asks.

Robin takes a seat on the couch. "Yeah. I like you guys a lot, but I think I'd like to stay as 'just Robin' for a little while longer."

"Are you feeling better, Friend Robin?" Starfire asks with concern.

Robin smiles at his crush, "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better, Starfire. I took some time to think things through. About being part of a team."

"And?" Tony asks.

Robin gets serious again as he gets off the couch and walks over to the young technologist. The rest of the team nervously wonders whether another argument is going to occur between the two heroes.

"I just want to make something clear, Iron Man," Robin explains, "I'm nobody's lackey. I'm not a soldier you can just boss around. I had enough of that in Gotham. You say we're going to be partners and comrades, and I expect you to keep your word on that. As long as you do, I'm more than ready to be part of this team."

Tony smiles and stands up to face his masked teammate. "I can certainly get behind that." He offers Robin his hand. "Partners."

Robin smiles and shakes the offered hand. "Partners."

Everyone else breathes a sigh of relief that a crisis was averted on the group's very first day of being a team. Hopefully, this will be the last big fight the Titans will have with each other.

Beast Boy turns to Tony and asks, "So, besides teamwork drills and stuff, what are we gonna do all day?"

Tony shrugs. "Pretty much hang out until some bad guy attacks or something else happens."

"How often does that happen around here?" Cyborg inquires.

"Pbbbt. Beats me," Tony admits, "Could be anything between a week from now or two seconds from now. It varies."

Suddenly, alarms go off around the room and a red "ALERT" appears on the TV. Jarvis speaks up from the speakers, [Sir, there's a hostage situation at the Jump City Bank.]

"Two seconds it is," Raven quips.

"Well, Titans, you heard the guy. Let's move out!" Tony calls out to the team.

"Yeah!" everybody cheers.

**Location: Three blocks from Jump City Bank**

Iron Man lands in a crouch on a rooftop some distance from Jump City Bank, the rest of the Titans arriving right behind him. In the distance, they can see multiple red and blue lights flashing, and hear the wailing of police sirens. Iron Man speaks in his helmet, [Jarvis, give us details.]

[Five gunmen are inside the building carrying AR-15 rifles. The leader is currently demanding a negotiator to make a deal for the hostages' lives. The cameras inside the building show the hostages are being held in the main conference room,] Jarvis answers.

Iron Man turns to the team and says, [Well, we obviously can't go in there guns blazing, not with people's lives on the line.]

Starfire raises her hand and asks, "Um, were we supposed to bring fire weapons?"

"It means we can't rush inside the building and cause a lot of damage," Raven clarifies.

"Iron Man's right, we can't just rush this," Robin says, "However, maybe we can sneak into the building and stealthily free the hostages and take down the gunmen."

[Good idea,] Iron Man approves, [Robin, you'll be in charge of the infiltration.]

Robin's eyes widen. "Really? You want me to be in charge of this?"

[Of course,] Iron Man affirms, [I trust you. Stealth is your specialty, after all. Raven, can you hook us up with an entrance?]

Raven conjures a black portal with her magic. "Got us covered."

"We're gonna need a distraction so we can move in easier," Cyborg points out.

[Leave that to me,] Iron Man offers, [I'm good at drawing attention to myself.]

"I know. I've heard your stories," Robin quips.

Iron Man chuckles. [Funny. Alright people! Let's show Jump City what we're made of! TEEN TITANS, GO!]

**Location: Front of Jump City Bank**

Police cars and SWAT vans surround the front of the bank, with officers pointing their weapons towards the bank doors. Behind the police barricade is a swarm of reporters and concerned citizens watching the crisis occur. Inside the building, they can see three of the gunmen, including the leader, searching the outside for any suspicious activity.

"Where's that negotiator?!" the leader calls out, "These poor, innocent people don't have all day, you know!"

Police Chief Maxwell Corwin, a middle-aged black-haired man with a mustache, responds through his megaphone, "We're working on it! It'll take a while for him to get here!"

Suddenly, everyone quiets down as the sound of rockets fills the air. The people jump back in surprise when a figure lands in a crouch between the police and the bank. That surprise turns into cheerful revelry when they see Iron Man rising from his landing. At last, their hero has arrived!

Iron Man turns around and gives the police chief a salute. [Chief Corwin. Always a pleasure to help a fellow hero.]

Corwin salutes back. "Mr. Stark. I hope you've got a plan to save those people."

[Don't worry. We've got it handled,] Iron Man assures the policeman.

Said policeman raises an eyebrow. "We?"

Iron Man nods, then turns and walks towards the bank doors. He calls out to the bank robbers, [Hey there, boys! What brings you guys to Jump City Bank today?]

"Iron Man?! Shit, we're in trouble!" one of the gunmen panics while the other two have fearful looks on their masked faces.

[Easy boys,] Iron Man placates the scared robbers, [I'm not here to fight. You all wanted a negotiator. Here I am.]

"Get out of that fancy armor of yours! Then we'll talk!" the leader demands.

Iron Man shrugs. Then, to the shock of everyone watching, the armor peels back its front, and Tony Stark steps out of his protective suit.

"Is this better?"

**Location: Inside Jump City Bank**

Inside the main conference room, bank tellers and innocent civilians huddle together in fright. What they thought would be another day of peaceful business has turned into a nightmare. Above them, an armed robber points his gun at the hostages, making sure that none of them step out of line. Outside the room, another robber guards the door.

Down the hallway, a black portal opens on the ceiling. Five figures quietly jump through and rush behind a corner. Robin pokes his head out, sees the guard standing watch, then turns to the other Titans.

"Alright, guys," Robin whispers, "The key is to make sure that the guard makes as little noise as possible when captured. Watch me closely." Robin then sneaks towards the guard while the others watch.

The guard, meanwhile, is looking in the other direction, whistling Black Sabbath's Iron Man to himself. Honestly, the guy is so bored, having been stuck with what he considers the "boring job". He's blissfully unaware of the pair of arms reaching for him from behind.

"MMPH!"

Until he's yoinked away from the door.

The other guard idly looks outside the room he's in and suddenly finds his partner in crime missing. "Don't move a muscle," he warns the hostages before stepping out of the room. He looks across the hallway for his accomplice. "Paul?"

Hissss.

The guard turns around. "Wha-HMMPH!" He suddenly finds himself bound head to toe by a giant green anaconda. He topples over, the snake holding him firm.

Robin gives a thumbs up to the snake. "Good job, Beast Boy."

The snake smiles.

**Location: Front of Jump City Bank**

"So, what are your demands?" Tony Stark asks the leader of the bank robbers.

"Simple," the criminal explains, gesturing to the two army bags full of money, "You and your pig friends let me and my pals walk out of here with our $30 million, give us an untracked car for us to drive to the airport, and clear the airspace for our plane to take us out of here."

Tony adopts a thinking pose. "Interesting," he ponders, "Do you have a preference for a specific type of plane? Regular, jumbo, private jet?"

"Hehe. How about you lend us one of your fancy jets, rich boy?" the leader snarks, getting chuckles from his two companions.

Tony doesn't skip a beat. "Sure, which one?"

The criminals stop chuckling, looking at the rich boy with wide eyes. "Um, does it matter?" the leader asks in confusion.

"Well, I have a business jet that gets me there and back in a pretty fast timespan. I also have a vacation jet which is slower but is decked out with more amenities and cushier seats," Tony explains, "It's just a matter of whether you want speed or comfort."

"I vote for comfort," one of the other robbers suggests, "I mean, if we're headed to Cuba after a job well done, then we should be going there like kings and shit."

The leader slowly turns to his schmuck of a partner with a deadpan look on his face. "How about you go and cover the hostages with the other guys," he suggests.

"…okay." And with that, the guy sulks off towards the conference room.

**Location: Inside Jump City Bank**

The schmuck of a criminal finally gets to where his buddies are stationed at but stops and blinks. He was expecting to see two men with guns and a room filled with scared hostages. Instead, he sees no men with guns and the room being emptied of hostages through a black hole in the wall by a figure in a blue cloak.

"What the hell?" the man asks himself. He then hears a whistle next to him. The criminal turns and gets sprayed in the face with a purple gas coming out of the arm of a white-and-blue metal man.

"Wait, what?" are his last words before he goes unconscious.

Cyborg catches the robber before he hits the ground. The metal titan gives a thumbs up to Robin, who nods in approval.

**Location: Front of Jump City Bank**

"So, just to be clear, you want the $30 million in your bags, an unmarked vehicle, and one of my private jets, right?" Tony Stark inquires the leader of the robbers.

"That's right!" the criminal confirms, "And we want it all pronto!"

"And you want the 'speedy' jet, right?" Tony asks.

The leader rolls his eyes. "Yes!"

"Gotcha! Now this is all well and good, but perhaps I can make a suggestion? How about you let the hostages go, and take me instead?" Tony offers.

Everyone gasps at the teen genius' suggestion. The leader cleans his ear out and asks, "Uh, could you repeat that last part?"

"Make me your one and only hostage. Let everyone else go," Tony requests.

The leader thinks for a moment, then turns to the only partner with him. "Tell the others to round up the hostages and bring them here," he demands.

The other robber looks at his boss in shock, "Wait, are we seriously doing this?!"

"_I'm_ seriously _considering_ it!" the leader stresses, "Bring them here now!"

The lackey hurries over to the other side of the bank. And then there was one.

**Location: Inside Jump City Bank**

"Guys! Guys! Boss wants us to bring the…hostages…to him…" The robber starts to shout to his companions, only to trail off and stop his run. He sees not his fellow criminals, nor the hostages trapped in the conference room. There's not a soul in sight.

"Where'd everybody go?" the gunman asks himself, looking frantically left and right.

There's a tap on his shoulder. "Pardon me, human criminal," a female voice gets his attention.

"Huh?" the man spins around and sees an orange-skinned redhead smiling at him.

"This is my first time performing such a technique, so please bear with me," the girl politely requests.

The gunman is confused. "Wha?"

The next thing he knows, the girl chops him on the neck, putting him out like a light. Starfire catches the man and turns to her teammates hiding behind the corner. "Did I perform it correctly, Friend Robin?" she eagerly asks.

"Yeah, you did it perfectly, Star," Robin confirms, then adds, "Although, you shouldn't be chatting with the criminals when trying to be stealthy."

Starfire sheepishly giggles.

**Location: Front of Jump City Bank**

"I gotta say, you're pretty ballsy to offer yourself as a hostage, Stark," the leader of (and, unknowingly, the last of) the group of criminals comments, "You're not afraid we're gonna put some bullets in you now that you're out of your little shell?"

"I mean, you could kill me," Tony Stark states without a shred of fear in his voice, "But if you do that, then you and your friends will be known as 'The Men Who Killed Tony Stark'. You'll have some other labels too, such as 'hero-killers' and 'Justice League's Most Wanted'." The leader flinches at this. "Or, you can keep me alive and collect a hefty ransom. I'm worth several billion dollars, after all. Way more than a measly 30 million."

The leader looks at the bags of money next to him. "That is a lot more money. You're definitely making me consider it more." The leader then huffs in frustration. "Where the hell are those dipshits? They should have been here by now."

The robber hears a group of footsteps behind him.

"Finally!" The leader turns around. "Where the fu–" he starts to speak but stops when he sees what's really behind him.

Four superpowered teenagers and an angry tiger with their powers ready and their glares aimed right at him.

He tries to make a move, but finds himself suspended in midair by dark energy.

"You should probably put down the gun," the girl in the blue cloak suggests.

"…Well…shit."

Timeskip: Ten Minutes Later

Happiness fills the street in front of Jump City Bank. Free civilians hug their loved ones in tearful joy. Police do their best to hold back eager reporters who want to catch every single moment. The only ones not feeling this happiness are the five criminals who are currently being escorted into a SWAT van to be sent to Jump Penitentiary.

Meanwhile, the six heroes who created this joyful mood are currently debriefing right in front of the bank.

[So, did you all learn something from this little mission of ours?] Iron Man, now fully armored again, asks the group.

"Indeed, Friend Tony!" Starfire answers eagerly, "I learned much about sneaking around and making people unconscious!"

"Yeah! We took care of those thugs no problem!" Beast Boy exclaims.

[Of course, you did. You all are good heroes,] Iron Man tells his friends, who all perk up at his words. He then turns to the Boy Wonder and adds, [And you have a good mentor.]

Robin smiles at the armored hero and says, "Thank you, Tony. Although, for right now at least, I'll leave most of the leadership responsibilities to you…along with the bills."

[Smart choice,] Iron Man remarks.

"Well, I learned that you do a lot of crazy things, Tony Stark," Cyborg comments.

Iron Man nods. [And even more craziness is to follow. But for now,] Iron Man flies a few feet above the ground and faces the crowd of people. [Everyone! Can I have your attention please?!]

All eyes are now on the flying hero.

[I would love it if we all took a moment to recognize the heroes who risked their lives and saved about fifty people today!] Iron Man waves his hands towards the five teenagers below him. [Let's all give a round of applause for the TEEN TITANS!]

Immediately, a thundering applause fills the street. The five teenagers are shocked by the amount of praise and cheer being sent their way. Robin is stunned that he's finally taking the time to enjoy the citizens' appreciation. Cyborg feels happy that he isn't being shunned by his appearance. Starfire is smiling brightly at the kindness of the residents of her new home. Beast Boy, predictably, is reveling in all of the attention. And Raven shyly turns her head away from the people, though not without a small smile on her face.

And all along, the people chant their name.

"TEEN TITANS! TEEN TITANS! TEEN TITANS!"

"I can definitely get used to this," Beast Boy says with a grin.

"Yippee for you," Raven deadpans.

**Timeskip: That Evening**

**Location: Stark Tower Penthouse**

While the other Titans are fast asleep at Titans Tower, dreaming pleasantly about their futures as superheroes, Tony Stark is steadily plugging away at his laptop, finishing up some important documents for his company. Among them are plans for a new Stark Industries automobile, as well as paperwork for purchasing a large plot of rain forest in Indonesia for conservation purposes. Finally, with a pronounced "clack", he finishes the very last page of work for the day.

He groans as he stretches in his chair. "Whew! All this damn paperwork is soul-draining. No wonder Gramps looked so tired all the time."

[Sir, you have an incoming transmission from the Justice League Watchtower,] Jarvis informs his creator.

"Put it through the big monitor, Jarv," Tony instructs the AI as he stands from his seat and heads for the minibar.

The screen shifts to show the interior of the Watchtower monitoring station. Standing behind its controls is the Man of Steel himself.

"Hello there, Mr. Stark," Superman greets the younger hero, "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Actually, I just got done with work," Tony says as pulls down a bottle of Bacardi and gets a small glass from a cabinet.

Superman notices the alcohol and asks, "Aren't you a little young for alcohol?"

"Aren't you technically an illegal immigrant?" Tony counters nonchalantly as he pours himself a drink.

Superman's eyebrow twitches. "Touché." He clears his throat and continues, "So, we at the Watchtower all saw what happened with that bank robbery in Jump City earlier today. Nice job, by the way."

"Thanks." Tony sits at his desk again, the glass of dark liquid in his hand. "I'm really proud of how the team handled everything."

"Yes, it looks like you found your team after all," Superman says with a somewhat-subdued smile.

"Actually, they found me, and I mean that literally." Tony takes a sip of his rum, savoring the flavor, then asks, "So, is this the part where you tell me that this team is a bad idea and that you don't approve?"

"No, actually," Superman refutes to the blonde CEO's surprise, "As a matter of fact, I personally want your little 'Teen Titans' project to succeed."

Tony raises his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," the Man of Steel confirms, "And so do most of us here in the League. Don't get me wrong, we're still pretty nervous about letting a group of teenagers fight crime by themselves, but we figure that since you're all working together, you can help each other become more experienced as superheroes. Plus, those of us who have side – I mean, students – of our own know that they won't be students forever. If the Teen Titans are a success, then the League can have much more confidence in the next generation."

Tony smiles and declares, "In that case, we won't let you down, Supes. We'll work hard and prove that we can fight with the best of them."

"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Stark." Superman then looks around, checking for anyone next to him. He then leans in closer and says in a quieter voice, "I'd be careful, though. You didn't hear this from me, but Batman's still upset about what happened the last time you two met, and he's not very happy that his former ward is working with you."

Tony shrugs. "If you want, I can give you the email address that he can send his criticisms to. It's all lowercase, and spelled e-a-t-d-i-c–"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Superman waves his hands and cuts Tony off. He then gets a nervous look on his face and rubs the back of his head. "By the way, are you still mad about…you know…before?"

Tony sighs. "Look Clark – may I call you Clark?" At Superman's nod, he continues, "That was months ago. I was upset, I fumed for a bit, and I got over it. It's all water under the bridge now. Especially since the rest of you weren't involved in Broodman's little investigation."

Superman chuckles a bit at Tony's nickname before saying, "Well, thank you for being so forgiving. And, again, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call the League."

"I won't," Tony assures the caped hero, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my drink."

Superman shakes his head and cautions the teenager, "Try not to enjoy it too much. Watchtower out."

And with that, the screen goes dark, leaving the young technologist alone at his desk. He takes another sip of his drink and seems to relax into his chair. After a moment, he looks over his shoulder.

"So, what's the reason for _your_ visit, Fury?" His question is directed to a dark corner of the room.

A figure calmly walks out of said corner. He is a middle-aged African American man with no hair on his dome but enough on his face to form a neat beard. He's wearing a black trench coat over his dark clothing. His most noticeable trait is the eyepatch he wears over where his right eye should be. This is Nicholas Fury, Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, better known as SHIELD.

"Pretty much the same as the Kryptonian's," Fury answers as he casually strolls to the front of Tony's desk, "Although, I don't have quite the same amount of optimism that he does."

"Still not trusting of little old me, are you?" Tony asks.

"It's nothing personal, Stark. The last time I trusted somebody, I lost an eye." Fury leans on the desk. "Trust is not something I give out lightly, especially given my position. Hell, sometimes it's hard for me to have the slightest bit of confidence in, well, anybody really. Even those who people would consider close to me. So, you can imagine why I would have a lot of doubts about a teenager with your background, your resources, and your…personality." Stark begrudgingly nods at this. "Nevertheless, for some god-forsaken reason, I decided to take a leap of faith with you, Tony Stark."

"Well, I'd like to think that despite my…personality, that your faith in me has been rewarded, thanks to my actions and good behavior," Tony says to the secret agent in front of him.

"Which is why I am now taking a leap of faith with the rest of your team," Fury leans in closer to the blonde and continues, "I pulled a lot of strings to make sure your new friends weren't in any trouble. Your alien redhead took most of those strings. I am risking quite a bit in the hopes that the Teen Titans can provide a benefit not just for this city, but for the world. For both our sakes, you better not fuck this up."

Tony never takes his eyes off the older man as he stands and offers his free hand. "We won't let you down, Fury. None of us will. You have my word on that."

Fury looks at the offered hand for a few seconds, then shakes it. "You've kept your word so far. Let's hope you continue to do so." He steps away from the desk. "Just remember, Stark, I've got my eye on you."

Tony opens his mouth to say something, but wisely stops and sits down at his desk again. Fury, satisfied at the lack of a smart-ass comment, begins to walk out of the room.

"Give Sensei my regards, Fury," Tony calls out.

"Sure thing, Stark." Fury stops at the door and turns back to the blonde. "You know, I've said it before, but if it weren't for that mouth of yours, you'd make a damn good agent."

Tony chuckles and says, "Well, like I said before, I'm right where I belong."

"That looks to be the case." And with that, Fury exits the room, leaving Tony to finally be alone to drink the rest of his rum in peace and contemplate the future for himself and his new friends.

**Location: Unknown**

Giant metal gears turn and grind against each other in the darkness. The noise of all this machinery fills the mostly vacant underground complex. The only source of light comes from a small area in the middle of the room. There, a massive computer system with multiple monitors replays the footage of a foiled bank robbery from many angles.

Seated at the computer in a throne-like chair is a mysterious figure. The figure's hands are clasped as a single eye takes in the images of the six heroes being shown. The figure's focus is on a red-and-gold suit of armor and a black-haired masked acrobat.

"Let the games begin."

**[Insert End Theme: Teen Titans End Credits]**

**AN: And cut! Man, this was a hell of a chapter to write! Luckily, I had a lot of time to spare in Borneo. Very beautiful place to visit, by the way.**

**Now, I know what you're about to say. "Hold up! How did Tony Stark beat Batman in a fight?!" There are three reasons for this. First, Batman was in an enraged state of mind not only from Tony knowing his secret identity, but also by being caught and antagonized by him. Second, there have been times when Batman has been defeated in combat, with some of those opponents having less combat experience then him (e.g. The Joker). Thirdly, Batman assumed that Tony Stark was just a rich boy with no combat experience. **_**This**_** Tony Stark, however, has more fighting skills than others, which caught Batman off guard. I'm sure some of you can figure out where Tony got his fighting skills from. Anyways, Batman has learned another lesson on not underestimating one's opponent, and he'll be more cautious during future encounters.**

**Anyways, announcements!**

**First: So far, I've only gotten one vote for my little poll for what direction I should take for my Anime Cinematic Universe (wah). For those who don't know, I planned on making a big, epic, anime crossover series involving a ton of anime shows. The options were: **

**A: Regular Earth with a bunch of anime added to it.**

**B: A DC Comics Earth with a bunch of anime added to it.**

**C: Take a whole bunch of people from a regular Earth, send them to different anime worlds, then have them return with anime powers.**

**So, I'm holding off on this project until I can get more input on where I should take it. That gives my readers more time to offer their suggestions. Don't be shy! Unlike some elections, every vote matters here.**

**Second: (Insert Professor Farnsworth voice) GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE! During my vacation, I rediscovered my muse for my other stories! This is especially true for Pacific Rim: New Generation. Not only have I redone the designs for my Jaegers, but I've also fixed some plot concepts that I found were flawed, and even added some new characters to my roster. No spoilers!**

**In any case, my next update will be for **_**that**_** story, then I'll do this one again, and then go back and forth between this story and one of my older ones. Eventually, I'll also get started on the ACU. My fingers have a lot of work ahead of them!**

**Until next time!**

**Dropareviewifyoucanflamerswillbeignored.**


	3. Final Exam

**Hello, and welcome back! Before we get into the story, I'd like to address some things from the reviews.**

**Firstly, thank you ****warrior of six blades**** for the extensive review! It's one thing for someone to say, "Great job, update soon!", but the fact that you took the time to really analyze the chapter is extremely helpful and touching. I know you and many others have a lot of questions about Tony's backstory. Let me assure you, they will all be answered by the end of this season.**

**Secondly, some people have asked whether Tony will be paired with Pepper, Starfire, or Raven. The answer is no. Pepper will be Tony's older sister figure, and Starfire and Raven will be just friends. I have different romantic plans for those three. As for Tony, he's going to hook up with a lot of girls before he finally settles on "The One", which won't be happening until many seasons in the future.**

**But for now, Tony and the Titans (nice band name) have to deal with their first supervillain battle as a team. Will it go smoothly? Let's find out!**

**Disclaimer: This author does not own the properties of Naruto, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics (unfortunately). This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.**

"Hello there!": Speech.

'_What a drag'_: Thoughts.

[I am Iron Man!]: Mechanical Speech

**The Earth is Mine!**: Monster/Demon Speech

**Let'sgetiton!**

Chapter 3

Final Exam

**Location: Unknown**

Static fills a screen before it settles down to show an enclosed room with yellow honeycomb patterns covering the walls, ceiling, and floor. Classical music plays in the background as a symbol is shown on the screen. It is a hexagonal coat-of-arms with a golden pointed border, a black and white cross section in the middle, and an elegant H in the center. At the bottom of the symbol are the letters H.A.E.Y.P.

A female voice begins the presentation. [The Hive Academy for Extraordinary Young People is proud to present this year's top graduates.]

A platform rises to the middle of the screen, revealing three teenagers. The first is a girl with pink hair styled like horns, pink cat eyes, and pale skin. She's wearing a black and purple dress with a supernatural theme, along with a jeweled necklace. The second teenager is extremely short for his age, going up to the girl's waist, and is completely. He's wearing a green full-body jumpsuit, along with a pair of green goggles on his head. The third teenager towers over both of his teammates and has shaggy red hair all over his head, and some on his chin, giving the young man a savage look. He wears a black jumpsuit with no sleeves and a yellow harness, along with yellow boots and bracelets.

All three of them dismount from the pillar to give their demonstration. The shorter male is first.

[Gizmo. The boy genius, whose intellect can conquer any problem with an inventive solution.]

Gizmo pushes a button on his suit, popping out a pair of rocket-powered wings. He flies in the air as panels on the room's walls open up, revealing turrets that fire at him. He effortlessly dodges the blasts and sends rockets at the turrets, destroying them instantly. He lands on the pedestal, his part of the demonstration done.

Holes open up on both walls, revealing several large robots that approach the pedestal. Gizmo flies away, and the girl takes his place with a smooth landing.

[Jinx, the enchanting sorceress, whose hexes mean bad luck for her enemies.]

Jinx spins and launches pink energy blasts at several panels on the walls. The bad luck energy causes the panels to fall right on the robots, crushing them as Jinx gracefully backflips away.

Panels on the floor open up behind her, revealing large blades that slice at the girl. Or they would have, if her hulking brute of a teammate didn't crush one of the blades into scrap.

[And Mammoth, the genetically enhanced giant, whose unstoppable strength speaks for itself.]

Mammoth grunts and lifts the broken blade tower out of the ground and throws it at the other two towers, destroying them both.

Smirking at his work, he is seemingly unprepared for the giant robot that grips him in a crushing hug. Luckily, Gizmo lands on the robot's back and attaches a device to it, causing it to spark and malfunction. This allows for Mammoth to casually shrug the robot off.

[Well organized, highly trained and combat equipped, these new H.A.E.Y.P. agents are the perfect fighting force.]

Mammoth gives Jinx a boost and launches her across the hall as Gizmo follows. Jinx flips through the hallway as wall turrets attempt to destroy her. She effortlessly avoids all of them, and even makes the turrets destroy each other. She lands smoothly at the other end, her two comrades joining her as they finish their demonstration.

[And, for the right price, this ideal team can be yours.]

The classical music ends and the screen turns back to static before showing the H.A.E.Y.P. symbol.

An older woman wearing a black business suit and skirt walks in front of the screen. Her grey hair is in a bun and she carries a clipboard.

"Well, Mr. Slade?", she asks the shadowy figure in front of her.

The figure known as Slade leans casually on the railing in his mechanical lair, his single eye gazing down at the woman below him. "Impressive. Truly," he says in an unimpressed tone, "However, robots and obstacle courses only prove so much. My plans require operatives that can function in the real world."

Slade walks over to his throne and sits down, the woman following behind him. He sits in darkness while spotlights shine on the woman and the three H.A.E.Y.P. students.

"If your students are to serve me, they'll have to pass one final exam. Destroy Iron Man and the Teen Titans, and then we'll talk."

The spotlights shut off, and darkness swallows the lair.

**(Insert Theme Song: Teen Titans Theme)**

**Location: Titans Tower, Living Room/Kitchen**

The sun shines on another glorious day in Jump City. It's been a week since the Titans stopped the bank robbery at Jump City Bank, and apart from some muggings, an apartment fire, and a case of grand theft auto, things have become quite peaceful in the city. This has allowed for some monotony to occur at Titans Tower.

Monotony that includes mountains of dirty dishes piling up in the sinks, trash strewn about the living area, and essential items turning up missing. Speaking of which…

"Aw man, come on! It's gotta be around here someplace!" Cyborg groans out as he lifts the couch over his head looking for something valuable. A green basset hound assists him. "Ngh! I don't believe this! How could you lose the remote?!"

The green dog shifts back into Beast Boy. "How could you be sure I lost it?!"

Cyborg puts down the couch and points at the green elf. "Uh, cause you're you?"

"Hey, just because I lost that videogame–"

"And the toothpaste, and my football, and the waffle iron."

"Things disappear! How am I supposed to know where they go?!"

"Well how am I supposed to watch TV without a remote?!"

At this point, Raven, who was attempting to read her book in peace, has had enough. She slams her book shut and glares at her two idiotic teammates. "Simple," she growls out, "you get up and you change the channel."

The two boys look at each other, then look at Raven as if she committed a great sacrilege. "Don't even joke like that," Cyborg warns the girl.

"I wasn't joking," Raven deadpans.

"GOOD, CAUSE IT WASN'T FUNNY!" Cyborg yells, "Now either help us look for the remote, or go back to reading your book!"

A tic mark forms on Raven's head. "This is a pointless argument over a useless device," she says as she then joins in on the pointless argument.

At this point, Starfire and Robin enter the room, having a more peaceful discussion.

"And that is the secret for intergalactic travel," Starfire explains to her friend.

Both Starfire and Robin then take notice of the argument happening in front of them. "Whoa, take it easy, Titans!" Robin says, waving his arms to placate his teammates, "Combat practice is this afternoon, and Tony's gonna be here any minute!"

"We must mend your dispute with the sharing of unhealthy junk foods," Starfire offers, "I shall fetch them."

As the team once again devolves into another quarrel, Starfire walks over to the fridge and opens it, looking for the junk foods in question. She apparently doesn't mind that all of the food is covered in thick layers of blue, furry mold.

At least, until part of the mold growls at her.

"Eep!"

As a frightened Starfire readies one of her starbolts, Tony walks into the room with a bright smile on his face, wearing a T-shirt, casual pants, and some fancy sunglasses.

"Hey there, peeps! Ready for a fun day of training?!"

FHSWOOM! SPLAT!

One starbolt sends blue goo all over the room, caking the walls and ceiling. All arguments cease as the goo drips down onto the Titans. They slowly turn their heads to the blonde genius, who unfortunately was close enough to get a large covering of the stuff. They expect him to yell at them, or at least groan in disgust.

Instead, he casually shakes out his spikey hair to get most of the goop off. Then, with a straight face, he calmly wipes the gunk off of his expensive glasses. He stares at the group of embarrassed teens before scanning the room. He doesn't visit Titans Tower that often due to the fact that he works and lives in Stark Tower, so this is his first time seeing the mountains of dishes and the tons of mess in the room.

After surveying the deplorable state of things, he turns back to the group.

"…wow."

That one word sends arrows of shame right through the rest of the Titans.

"Maybe we should just go out for pizza," Robin nervously offers.

Tony sighs and looks to the ceiling. "Jarvis."

[I've already booked a table, sir.], the AI responds.

"Thanks."

**Location: Pizza Plaza**

Several thorough washings later, and the team is sitting at a balcony table for lunch. Which unfortunately, has started another argument about toppings.

"Olives and mushrooms!"

"Bell peppers!"

"Pepperoni!"

"Anchovies!"

"Will we please just pick something?" Raven groans out. Next to her, Tony is writing something down on a paper towel.

"As long as it's vegetarian!" Beast Boy demands.

"Come on, man! How can you deny me the All-Meat Experience?" Cyborg asks his green friend.

"Dude! I've _been_ most of those animals!" Beast Boy reminds the half-robot.

"I suggest a large pizza with pickles, bananas, and mint frosting!" Starfire innocently suggests.

Cue several looks of disgust being sent her way.

Before Robin can correct the alien girl, Tony speaks up, holding the paper towel in front of him. "Okay! So, three slices of olives and mushrooms for Rob, three slices of the vegetarian for BB, three slices of the All-Meat Experience for Cy, three slices of straight cheese for Raven, three slices of pickles, bananas, _and_ mint frosting for Star, and three slices of olives and Italian sausage for yours truly! Alright, let's do this thing!"

The others give Tony confused looks. "Um, I'm not so sure they can do that here," says Robin.

"Well they definitely should," Tony states matter-of-factly, "since I own the place." He ignores his teammates' looks of surprise and waves a blond waitress over. "Hey there, Betty! Here's our order."

Betty takes the paper towel from Tony and looks over the writing. "Alright, we'll have this out as soon as possible, Mr. Stark!" She says with a smile on her face, "Oh, and Mr. Phillips was wondering about the new ovens."

"Tell him they'll be installed tomorrow," Tony responds. Betty nods and heads into the kitchen. Tony turns back to his friends. "New Stark Tech cooking ovens. Cooks the food just as well as conventional ovens but with just a quarter of the energy usage, and they're cheaper to make. Gonna be putting them in restaurants all over the city in two weeks' time."

Tony stops as he takes in the shocked looks being thrown his way.

"…what?"

"YOU! ARE! GOD!" Cyborg and Beast Boy both shout out.

"Pfft! Ridiculous," Tony scoffs, "I can't grow a beard to save my life." He then claps his hands together and gives his friends a no-nonsense look. "Now then, we need to have a serious talk about the living room situation at Titans Tower."

The other Titans cringe at the discussion about to happen. Luckily, their salvation comes in the form of two attractive teenage girls approaching Tony's seat.

"Hi there, Mr. Stark!" says the redhead holding her phone up. She and her brunette friend have excited smiles on their faces. "We're so sorry to bother you, but is it cool if my friend and I take a picture with you?"

As the rest of the team get sweatdrops on their heads, an unbothered Tony answers, "Yes. Yes, it's very cool." He takes the phone and tosses it to Beast Boy. "BB, you mind?"

Beast Boy fumbles with the phone for a bit, before getting it together and pulling up the camera. In the frame, Tony has an arm around each girl's waist, and the girls have big smiles on their faces as they flash peace signs.

Tony, seeing the peace signs, deadpans, "I don't want to see this on your Facebook pages. Please, no gang signs." He takes a moment to take in the girls' surprised faces before laughing. "No, throw them up! I'm kidding!" Both girls laugh as well and bring up their signs again. "I love peace. It's a job well done for me if there's peace."

Beast Boy takes a photo of the three smiling teenagers. It's the only photo he's able to take before the honking of a horn gets everyone's attention. All of the Titans turn and see a runaway bus barreling down the street, on a collision course with a carriage sitting in the middle of the crosswalk with a crying baby inside.

Tony turns to his teammates. "Go! I'll watch the pizza!"

Robin nods and calls out, "Titans, Go!" He along with the other battle-ready heroes leap off the balcony, leaving Tony to look on from above.

Tony's eyes narrow at the situation. _'My danger senses are definitely ringing.'_ He puts his hi-tech Stark smart watch up to his mouth. "Jarvis, do me a favor and deploy the Mark VII."

[Very well, sir,] Jarvis answers from the watch, [The Mark VII will be deployed momentarily.]

"Good man, Jarv," says Tony as he turns his attention back to the emergency below.

On the street, the bus is about to collide with the carriage when Cyborg leaps in front of it and attempts to halt the bus with his bear hands. He grunts as the vehicle forces him backwards. Luckily, Raven uses her power to put the bus in park, thus allowing it to safely stop.

Cyborg and Raven look inside the open door of the bus and notice the obvious lack of a human behind the wheel. Cyborg asks his friends, "Um, aren't buses supposed to have drivers?"

"And don't baby carriages usually have babies?" Robin ponders aloud as he, Beast Boy, and Starfire look in confusion at the object he took out of the carriage. It's not a baby, but a green teddy bear.

[Are you pit-sniffers normally this stupid?] the bear asks the heroes. It's eyes suddenly glow with energy, and lasers blast the three Titans across the street.

As Cyborg and Raven watch their comrades fly through the air, the bus is lifted off the ground. Their shock gives them no time to react as the bus slams on top of them.

Back on the balcony, Tony blinks as he processes what just happened to his team. He speaks into the watch again, "Uh Jarvis? Double time on that suit, please."

Meanwhile, Mammoth walks away from the bus and claps his hands free of dust. Gizmo and Jinx join him on the street.

Gizmo chuckles. "Man, that was too easy. What a bunch of cludgeheads! You guys wanna get pizza?"

"This isn't over!" Robin declares as he, Starfire, and Beast Boy recover from the laser blasts.

Cyborg blasts the bus off of him and Raven with his sonic cannon and cries out, "This is just getting started!"

"Who are these guys?" Beast Boy asks as he picks off the garbage on his body from when he landed, "And what's a cludgehead?"

"We are the Hive!" Gizmo announces.

"Your worst nightmare," Mammoth continues.

"And this is Attack Pattern Alpha," Jinx finishes as all three villains rush the Titans.

Gizmo flies and blasts at Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire, causing rubble from the surrounding buildings to land on top of the heroes. Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire push the rubble off of them

While Jinx engages Raven, and Cyborg grapples with Mammoth.

As Cyborg tries to overpower his opponent, Mammoth smirks and asks, "What do you call an idiot with a rocket on his back?"

The answer comes from Gizmo, who latches a rocket on a surprised Cyborg's back. "Duped!" Cyborg can only scream as the rocket launches him up into the air and away from the area in zig-zag motions.

Starfire gasps. "Cyborg!" She cries before flying off after her friend.

Tony sees the two Titans in the air and knows the situation is going south fast. "Come on, Jarvis! Come on!" He then hears a second rocket sound and sees a large object approaching his position. He smirks. "Finally!"

Meanwhile, Jinx kicks and strikes at Raven, who dodges out of the way and sends her own strike. Jinx effortlessly blocks the hit.

"You fight like a boy," Jinx taunts.

"And you're gonna croak like a frog!" Gizmo jabs from behind Jinx as he stands on mechanical spider legs. He blasts Raven with a laser, launching her right into Robin.

Beast Boy shifts into an elephant and goes for an attack, but Mammoth lifts the large animal off the ground. "Mammoth's gonna make you extinct," the giant declares.

"Beast Boy! Hang on!" Robin calls out as he rushes to help his friend. But Mammoth throws the elephant into the air, spins, and punches the mammal towards the Boy Wonder. Luckily, Beast Boy shifts back into a human before he would squish his fellow hero, though they still crash into each other.

"Is it just me, or are we getting our butts kicked?" Beast Boy asks his remaining teammates.

"It's just you," Robin and Raven answer simultaneously.

"Listen up, team! I have a plan," Robin announces.

Before he can say his plan, however, Gizmo blasts Beast Boy and Raven away. "Geez, scrump-buffer. Hope your fancy plan includes getting fried." The short genius jabs as his fellow villains join him.

"You'll just have to find out the hard way," Robin responds as he gets into a fighting stance and gives the villains a 'come here' gesture.

The Hive students answer the gesture by shattering the ground underneath Robin with their combined powers. Robin shouts as he falls into the sewers below.

Or he would have, if a mechanical hand didn't grab his leg from above. Robin looks up and sees Iron Man keeping him from certain doom.

[Phew! That was a close one.] Iron Man says as he lifts Robin out of the hole and gently lowers him onto stable ground.

Robin grunts as he holds his ankle in pain. "You took your sweet time getting here," the Boy Wonder remarks.

[Well, you know how it is. The hero always shows up at the last minute,] Iron Man responds, [How are you holding up?]

"You mean besides my twisted ankle and my bruised pride?" Robin quips as Raven and Beast Boy join them.

[Well, we can't do anything about your pride, but,] Iron Man turns to his other teammates, [Raven, take care of his ankle. Beast Boy, make sure there aren't any civilians in the area.] He then turns towards the villains. [I'll take care of these chumps.]

"Wait! We can still fight!" Robin calls out, before clutching his ankle again with a wince. Raven approaches Robin and uses her dark power to heal the ankle.

[Take it easy, Robin. You've fought well already. Just focus on getting healed, and then you can join back in.] Iron Man smacks his fist into his hand. [Besides, I've been itching for some action for a while now.] And with that, Iron Man leaves his compatriots and calmly walks towards the villains.

The Hive students smirk at seeing their main target approaching them. "It's about time you showed up," Jinx says to the armored hero.

"We've been waiting for a real hero," Mammoth taunts, making the other Titans wince.

"How about you give up that fancy suit of yours, and we'll let you walk away with some of your dignity," Gizmo jabs, inwardly salivating at the thought of having the Iron Man suit.

Iron Man's response is to stop a distance away from the villains, kneel down, look right at the vertically challenged teen, and say, [Aw, Aren't you just the cutest wittle thing. You've got your big boy goggles on, don't ya?]

Gizmo growls as a huge tick mark forms on his forehead. "Screw it! Scrap him!" With that shout, the Hive students charge right at the hero.

Iron Man fires his repulsors at the ground in front of him, creating a smokescreen that blinds the villains. This allows for Iron Man to fly up and blast Mammoth away. Jinx launches her hex bolts at the hero as Gizmo launches into the air to engage him. Iron Man dodges the hexes and shoots his explosive rounds at Jinx, who backflips away from the shots.

Gizmo fires his laser blasts at the fellow genius, who flies out of the way. He then launches several missiles to blow up the hero, but Iron Man uses his auto-targeting systems and explosive rounds to destroy every last one of them. A dogfight ensues, with Gizmo angrily trying to take Iron Man out of the sky, and Iron Man expertly dodging everything Gizmo throws at him.

Gizmo smirks as he finally gets a lock on his target. "Gotcha, rust bucket!"

Before he can capitalize on this, however, Iron Man makes a dead stop in the air, turns around, and punches the small villain right in the gut. Spittle flies out of Gizmo's mouth as he's sent to the ground below.

Jinx sees her comrade crash next to her and furiously launches hex after hex at the Armored Avenger. Iron Man flies down after her, weaving through every hex harmlessly. He stops in the air above the street and launches a projectile at the sorceress. Said sorceress watches as the object wizzes by her head and lands behind her.

She turns to the hero and calls out, "Ha! You missed!"

KABOOM!

"Kyaaah!" Jinx cries out as she's blown away by the tank-buster rocket.

[No, I didn't,] Iron Man deadpans. He turns and sees Mammoth hoisting a large part of the street above his.

"Dodge this, Tin Man!" Mammoth throws the hunk of asphalt at the hero.

[Don't have to.] Iron Man's chest glows with power.

VRI-SHOOOOOM!

The blast from his Uni-Beam surges through the projectile and slams into Mammoth, sending the giant into the front of the building.

Iron Man is about to land when he feels an object land on his back. He turns and sees Gizmo with a pissed off look on his face plugging his pack into the suit.

"Alright, skiff-buffer, let's see what happens when someone messes with your toys!" Gizmo cries out in anger.

[Yes, let's.] Iron Man answers nonchalantly. [Jarvis, if you please.]

[Initiating counter-hacking procedures.] Gizmo only has a moment to process the British voice's words before his pack shorts out in a shower of sparks.

"My tech!" The villain cries out. Gizmo then yelps as he's ripped off of the hero's back and brought to face him. Iron Man pulls his armored fist back for a punch. Gizmo gulps. "Uh, mercy?"

Iron Man's response is to power up his elbow rocket.

"Ah crud."

POW!

The rocket powered punch puts a dent into the villain's face and sends him hurtling towards his larger teammate. Mammoth, who is attempting to recover from the Uni-Beam, ends up having a 4'1" mass crash right into his face and knock them both into blissful unconsciousness.

Iron Man stops to look at his handiwork. [And then there was one.] Unfortunately, he's not paying attention when a hex bolt hits his left boot. [Uh Oh.] His boot shorts out, sending him crashing into the street below.

Iron Man attempts to pick himself off of the ground. [Ugh, that was unpleasant.] Unfortunately, his rising is impeded by Jinx landing on top of him with a Cheshire grin on her face.

Robin, his ankle healed, sees Jinx on top of his friend. He, Beast Boy, and Raven rush to help their fellow Titan.

Meanwhile, Jinx smirks as she strokes the Armored Avenger's helmet. "It's a real shame I have to destroy you. I have a thing for confident boys like you."

[Just as well. I've always had a weakness for bad girls like you,] Iron Man responds.

Jinx giggles as she raises a purple glowing hand. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Stark."

[Really? How about this?] The suit opens up, exposing Tony Stark in all of his glory. Then, in a move that stuns the villainess and the Titans, he quickly sits up, grabs Jinx's head–

"Mmph?!"

–and gives her a searing kiss on the lips.

Jinx goes wide eyed. She gasps in shock, allowing Tony to push his tongue into her mouth. He grips her waist and pulls her in close, making her unable to escape the onslaught. Tony's years of experience involving models, movie stars, princesses, and other beautiful women allows him to expertly map the cat-eyed sorceress' mouth with precision and fervor. Eventually, Jinx gives in, gripping Tony's body as she returns the kiss with gusto.

Robin, Beast Boy, and Raven are gob smacked as they watch their colleague make out with their enemy.

"I did not see that coming," Beast Boy comments.

Finally, Jinx is released from the assault, her eyes half-lidded and her face flushed red. She gasps as Tony levels a victorious gaze at her. "Impressed, kitty-cat?" He asks the villainess.

"Hell yeah," Jinx breathlessly answers.

"Good." That's all the warning Jinx gets before Tony chops her neck, sending her into blissful unconsciousness. He pushes her off of him, stands up, and dusts himself off, the armor rising with him. He turns to his comrades as the armor surrounds him again. [And that's how it's done.]

The other Titans sweatdrop. "Right," Raven deadpans.

The heroes' attentions are drawn to the sound of applause and cheering. They see a crowd of civilians rushing towards them with faces of adoration and gratitude.

"Hey, check it out! It's our fans!" Beast Boy exclaims. He waves at the crowd running their way. "What's up, peo–BLAGH!"

His greeting is cut off as the people bulldoze over him and run by. Beast Boy groans and twitches from the trampling. The crowd of people surround Tony,

Tony wills his helmet to collapse, allowing his blonde hair and whiskered face to show to the crowd. He gives a bright smile to the people and waves happily to the people around him. He then sees the two teenage girls from Pizza Plaza rush over to him and latch on to his sides.

"We love you, Tony!" Both girls cry out, before kissing both of his whiskered cheeks. Tony takes all of the affection with a smile. He gives the crowd peace signs as cameras capture the hero's victorious moment.

Robin and Raven, meanwhile, watch glumly as the happy crowd surrounds their armored friend and take snapshots of the one who saved the day.

A woosh gets the two heroes' attention. They turn and see Starfire land next to them, carrying a disheveled Cyborg with her.

"My friends! I have returned with our comrade in good health!" Starfire calls out in joy.

"Yeah, mostly," Cyborg mutters, "I was almost out of the county before Star caught up with me."

Starfire and Cyborg then take in the scene around them; the unconscious Hive in various stages of bruising, Beast Boy slowly rising from the ground with aches and pains, Robin and Raven sulking, and Tony being showered with praise by the people of the city.

"Uh, what did we miss?" Cyborg asks.

A sigh from Robin is his only answer.

**Location: Titans Tower, Living Room/Kitchen**

The sun is high in the sky as five teenagers tiredly sit on the large couch in the middle of the room. They completely disregard the fact that said couch is caked in blue goop, along with the rest of the room. They're too busy nursing their physical and moral wounds.

"Ugh, I feel like both my body and soul got flattened, dudes," Beast Boy groans.

"It is just my soul that is pained," Starfire laments, "I was unable to assist my friends in the battle."

Cyborg winces. "Yeah. Sorry about that, Star."

Starfire waves her hands in assurance. "Do not apologize, friend Cyborg! I was more than happy to help you!"

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't have had to do that if I was paying attention," Cyborg grumbles.

"_My_ body and soul feel like they're sinking into an inky black abyss of misery," Raven comments in monotone.

"Uh, isn't that how you usually feel?" Beast Boy asks, getting a glare from the dark sorceress.

"I think it's safe to say that we're all feeling defeated today, Titans," Robin says to the group, still in shock at the fact that he nearly lost his life today.

Cyborg scoffs. "Most of us, anyway."

Just then, the sliding doors open. Everyone turns and sees their final member, out of his suit, stroll into the room carrying pizza boxes on both arms.

"And Tony Stark said, 'Let there be pizza!' And there was!" Tony shouts in happiness.

Cue five sets of glares sent his way. Tony is oblivious to this as he crosses the room to the couch. Robin idly notices that Tony nimbly steps around the piles of goop to reach his destination.

Once he reaches the couch, Tony starts handing out pizza boxes as he speaks, "Personal pizzas on the house, courtesy of your local Pizza Plaza! 10/10 service, I say. Everyone gets their choice of pie. Classic favorites and some inspiring new choices!" He stops at Starfire, handing her her box last. "By the way, Star, Mr. Phillips wants to talk to you about some new topping combinations. I think you gave him some crazy ideas."

"Thank you, friend Tony," Starfire quietly responds as she accepts her box.

Hearing the sadness in her tone, Tony looks around and notices the upset looks on everyone else's faces. He sets his pizza box on the table. "Guys! What's with the long faces? It's pizza time!"

"Dude, if it were any other time, I'd be tearing this pizza apart. But not today," Beast Boy groans.

Tony raises an eyebrow at his friends' behaviors. "Guys, what's wrong? We beat the bad guys and we got pizza! We should be celebrating!"

Cyborg suddenly slams his fists into the table in front of him, startling Tony. "_WE_ DIDN'T DO SHIT! You're the one who beat the bad guys and saved everybody!"

Tony recovers from his surprise and waves his arms in front of himself. "That's not true! I was the guy late to the party, remember? Note to self; find a faster armor delivery method." Tony mutters the last part to himself before turning back to his team. "The point is that you guys did most of the actual fighting!"

"Correction," Raven interjects, "_we_ were getting pummeled and humiliated by the Hive. The only one of us who did any worthwhile fighting was _you_."

"You are the one who earned the victory today," Starfire says in sadness, "along with the love and adoration of the people."

Tony deflates slightly seeing his sweet friend looking so sad. "Star, don't say that. Jump City loves you guys."

"Oh really?" Cyborg challenges. He clears his throat and continues speaking in a mocking female voice. "~'We love you, Tony!~We're so proud of you Tony!~Please give me your babies, Tony!'~ You don't hear the rest of us getting any of that!"

"Oh, come on! It wasn't like that!" Tony argues.

His friends all have deadpan looks on their faces. They simultaneously look up to the ceiling and yell, "Jarvis!"

[Pulling up the footage now]. Jarvis responds. Tony turns and sees the TV light up and reveal amateur footage from a civilian's phone. The footage shows Tony in his suit being swarmed by people trying to take photos of and with their resident hero. Some girls even manage to give a kiss on his cheek in their photos. Meanwhile, shouts of praise and adoration surround him.

[WE LOVE YOU, TONY!]

[THANKS FOR SAVING OUR BUTTS, MAN!]

[YO, IRON MAN IS ALPHA UP IN HERE!]

[PLEASE FUCK ME, TONY!]

[TONY! TONY! TONY! TONY!]

It's when a particularly busty woman exposes her bare breasts to the surprised hero when the footage stops, leaving the blonde looking at the screen with a straight face.

Jarvis uses the resulting silence to comment, [Might I say that it is always refreshing seeing a video of you on the Internet with your clothes on, sir.]

Tony's eye twitches as he looks up to the ceiling. "Et tu, Jarve?"

Robin stands up and addresses his fellow hero. "The point, Tony, is that the Titans failed. It was our first supervillain fight as a team, and we failed. And if it wasn't for you, I'd likely be dead."

Tony nods and takes a deep breath. He turns to his friends and says, "Okay, fine. Our first supervillain fight went south. It's not the end of the world, though. The important thing is that we're all here, alive and whole. We can take the time and learn from this, so that the next time we encounter the Hive, we can properly kick their asses six ways to Sunday."

"That's easy for you to say," Beast Boy argues, "You're the big, awesome superhero in the group."

"Beast Boy, this may come as a shock to you, but I've screwed up too. Big time," Tony counters.

The rest of the Titans look unconvinced.

"I'm serious, here!" Suddenly, a lightbulb goes off in Tony's head. He smirks and pulls out his phone. "In fact, let me show you." He turns and aims the phone at the TV. "Jarvis, I'm gonna go ahead and borrow the TV for a moment." He inputs some commands into the phone, causing the phone's screen to appear on the TV.

Raven quirks an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Tony pulls up his video storage on the TV. "Showing you guys some footage from my first fight ever with a villain called 'The Melter'."

The technologist plays a video set in the streets of Jump City. A helmeted man carrying a large energy weapon is blasting at random buildings and cars, causing the people to flee. Suddenly, Iron Man lands behind the villain and readies his repulsors. Sadly, before he can use them, The Melter spins around and fires a beam of yellow energy at the hero. Iron Man braces himself for damage as the beam hits his lower section.

The good news is that Iron Man isn't hurt. The bad news is that the lower part of his armor is now a puddle of metal surrounding him, thanks to the effects of The Melter's blaster. The worse news is that, due to being in a hurry to suit up, Tony didn't have pants underneath the armor. The result is an embarrassed Iron Man covering his toad-print boxers with his hands.

In the real world, Tony smiles as he hears his friends laughing behind him. His pride will certainly be taking a hit, but it'll be worth it.

He says to his now smiling teammates, "You think that's funny? Check out what happened when I first met 'Blizzard'."

The next video takes place at the Jump City docks. The video shows Iron Man blasting away at a man in a white and blue snow suit carrying a strange ray gun. The villain dodges the repulsors and fires a blue beam of energy at the hero. Iron Man is unfortunately hit, resulting in a thick block of ice covering his suit all the way up to his neck. He lands in the ocean, becoming the first ever Human Iceberg. Blizzard, along with Tony's friends outside of the video, laughs as a seagull lands on the iceberg and pecks at Iron Man's helmet.

Even Tony chuckles at that one. He moves on to the next video. "And of course, there's 'Crimson Dynamo', Take One. Always a classic."

Another video set on the streets of Jump, this one shows Iron Man being slammed to the ground to-and-fro by what appears to be a giant red robot. Each hit to the street is followed by a cry of [Ow!] from the smaller figure. After several rounds of this, Dynamo spins Iron Man around and flings him right into an alleyway dumpster. A dazed Iron Man crawls out of the dumpster covered in garbage as an alley cat hisses at him.

Tony ends the last video as the rest of the Titans, even the ever-stoic Raven, are busting their guts with laughter. Tony smiles as he takes in the joy of his friends at his own expense.

Eventually, the Titans calm their laughter down. Robin says with a smile, "Okay, Tony, we get it. Iron Man messes up too."

"Yes, he does," Tony agrees with his friend, "But here's the thing; not only did Iron Man survive those encounters, he learned from them. He improved his tech and his strategies, so that the next time he encountered those villains," Tony pulls up news articles showing Iron Man standing on top of the defeated forms of The Melter, Blizzard, and Crimson Dynamo, "he's the one that emerged victorious. And that's the same with us Titans. We'll train, strategize, and improve ourselves together. That way, when the Hive returns – which will likely happen due to the current security measures at our city prison – the Teen Titans as a whole will be the winners. Who's with me?"

All five of his comrades give a loud cheer, their spirits raised once again by their leader's speech.

"Excellent!" Tony cries out as he powers down his phone. "Now that that's taken care of, let's finally enjoy some pizza!" He sits down on the couch with his friends as everyone happily opens their pizza boxes.

Cyborg pulls out a slice of delicious goodness and asks, "So, Tony, if you can do all that with your phone and the TV, you think you can find the remote?"

Tony doesn't even look away from his pizza pie. "Check your right foot."

Cyborg blinks and looks down at his feet. Sure enough, there's a remote control sitting by his right foot. "Huh. What do you know?"

"I told you I didn't lose it!" Beast Boy shouts from across the couch.

Finally, each Titan holds a slice of tasty pizza and bring them to their mouths to enjoy.

EEERRRRP! EEERRRRP! EEERRRRP!

And then they put the slices down and huff in frustration as alarms blare and red lights fill the room.

"Give us a break already!" Beast Boy cries out.

[I'm terribly sorry to interrupt Pizza Time, but the transport carrying the Hive has been sabotaged. The villains have escaped,] Jarvis informs the group. The TV shows two pictures, one of the Hive, and the other of a prison transport vehicle wrecked on the side of a road.

Tony groans. "I told you the prison system needs better security. Is the tracker on Mammoth still working?"

[Indeed, sir.] The TV now shows a map of Jump City, with a yellow dot travelling from the site of the wreck south towards the Titan's home. [The group is heading straight for Titans Tower.]

Tony sighs and stands up. "Alright, people. Looks like we'll have to do our improvements on the fly."

Robin speaks up from the couch with a smirk, "Actually, I have some ideas for us to take them down."

Tony matches Robin's smirk. "I'm listening."

**Location: Titans Tower, Outside**

The sun is descending as an object travels over the water straight towards Titans Tower. The object is revealed to be Gizmo carrying Jinx and Mammoth underneath him with some mechanical arms.

"If those crud-munchers think they've seen the last of the Hive, they're dead wrong!" Gizmo declares.

"You do know we got beat by them before when _we_ laid a trap for _them_, right?" Jinx points out to her smaller teammate. "What makes you think we'll have better luck on _their_ turf and _their_ terms?"

"Be-ca-use," Gizmo answers back in annoyance, "they only won because of 'Iron Jerk', who just got lucky! This time, he won't be so lucky!"

"And once he goes down, the rest of the Titans will go down with him!" Mammoth continues.

"Exactly!" Gizmo affirms.

Jinx shakes her head. "This is gonna end badly."

"Says the one who got smooched by Tony Stark," Mammoth fires back.

Jinx gets a heavy blush on her face. "Shut up, dumbass!"

All arguments stop as they approach their destination.

Gizmo gets a deadly grin on his face. "This is it! Full on guns blazing!"

The Hive close in on the Tower.

WHAM! BZZZZZT!

Unfortunately, a blue barrier stops them dead in the air, leaving several impressions not unlike birds hitting a window.

The Hive pry themselves off of the barrier and shake themselves back to their senses. They observe the glowing blue force field surrounding the tower.

"Ray shields?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" Gizmo cries out. He growls as he puts his goggles over his eyes, allowing him to analyze the barrier. "Pit-sniffin', crud-sucking…there! There's an opening that leads to the roof. Let's go!"

And with that, Gizmo carries his teammates over the barrier and towards the roof. All the while, Jinx gets a feeling that they're walking right into a trap.

The Terrible Trio land on the roof. They idly notice that there's some leftover scaffolding set up from construction of some kind, along with some tubular generators.

Gizmo takes off his goggles and smirks. "Heh, guess Stark's security isn't so foolproof after all."

[You think so, huh?]

VRI-SHOOM!

A blue burst of energy blasts Gizmo away. The other two Hive students look and see Iron Man and the Teen Titans poised and ready to meet them.

'_Definitely a trap'_, Jinx thinks to herself as her shorter partner recovers from the blast.

[Looks like you three didn't learn your lesson from the first time.] Iron Man says to the group.

"That's okay. We're more than happy to teach you punks again," Robin declares, "the hard way."

Jinx growls. "Attack Pattern Alpha!" And with that, the Titans and the Hive engage in Round Two.

Jinx launches her hex bolts at the Titans, making them jump away from the resulting explosion. As Beast Boy lands, he's surprised to see Mammoth charging right at him. Luckily, Beast Boy shifts into a hawk and flies away.

Meanwhile, Jinx flips over Cyborg and fires her hexes at the two generators. Cyborg runs to avoid the pillars falling on him. Starfire comes to his aid, throwing her starbolts at Jinx, who flips out of the way. Jinx runs into the scaffolding with Starfire hot on her heels.

As Cyborg recovers from avoiding the pillars, Gizmo lands on the Titan's back. "Hey robo-wimp! Feel like getting hacked?" the villain taunts as he pulls out a sparking mechanism.

"Nope. How about you?" Cyborg answers nonchalantly. He then shouts, "Robin! Now!"

At the signal, Robin throws a small device that attaches to Gizmo's backpack. The device shorts out the pack and Gizmo, making him scream in pain and leap off of Cyborg.

"Cut it out! It's gonna crash my whole system!" Gizmo shouts as he tries to fix his pack. "Get it off me! Get it off me!" His cries go unanswered as his pack deploys his wings and shoots him into the air.

Where he's met by a flying suit of armor who grabs a hold of his jump suit.

[Aw, is the little guy having a meltdown?] Iron Man asks as he levels a repulsor right at Gizmo's face.

"Ah double crud." This is Gizmo's only response before a blue beam of energy sends him screaming back to the ground.

Meanwhile, Jinx attempts to evade Starfire's attacks in the scaffolding. Unfortunately for her, this is exactly what Starfire wants. The heroine calls out, "Beast Boy! Go!"

Up above, Beast Boy gives a thumbs up before leaping off of a beam. He shifts into a monkey and lands right on Jinx's face. Jinx tries to pry the monkey off of her face, firing off mass amounts of hexes into random parts of the scaffolding. She finally pulls the primate off of her and throws him away. Luckily, the monkey shifts back to human and lands safely.

"Your luck just ran out!" Beast Boy calls out, before booking it away from the villainess.

Jinx's confusion at that statement is short lived when she notices the scaffolding around her break apart with purple energy. She can only groan in apprehension as the metal beams collapse all around her.

Mammoth is unaware of his comrades' plights as he tries and fails to hit Raven, who glides around his attacks. He goes for another punch, only to be blindsided by Cyborg, who tackles the giant away from Raven. Mammoth tumbles across the ground for a while before rolling to a halt.

Right at the feet of a green T-Rex.

Mammoth screams in fright and runs away from the massive man-eater. Unfortunately, he's unprepared for the massive starbolt that hits his legs and makes him literally spin in place. This allows for Robin to hit Mammoth with a spin kick, sending the villain flying. Mammoth's teammates are just recovering from earlier attacks when they're hit by the genetically enhanced behemoth.

When the dust settles, the Teen Titans see their enemies in a pile with swirls in their eyes. The young hero team has officially defeated their first supervillains.

Iron Man shakes his hands off in satisfaction. He turns to his friends and asks, [Feeling better, Titans?]

"Much better!" Robin answers with a smile.

"Glorious!" Starfire calls out in glee.

"Booyah!" Cyborg cries out.

"Yippee," Raven says in monotone.

"_Now_ can we have that pizza?!" Beast Boy asks impatiently.

Meanwhile, Gizmo recovers and pulls out a communicator. "Cram it. I'm calling Slade."

His efforts are thwarted when Robin pulls the tiny genius up face-to-face, though he does turn on the communicator.

"Who is Slade?" Robin demands.

Gizmo smirks. "Wouldn't you like to know, barf brain?"

[As a matter of fact,] Iron Man answers, his fist pulled back for another rocket punch, [we would.]

Gizmo gulps. "Ah triple crud."

**Location: Unknown**

Deep underground, in the rusting mechanical lair of Slade, the mysterious villain and the H.A.E.Y.P. official have just been made aware of the three students' two failures.

"I assure you, such failure is not tolerated within the Hive," the official states, trying to salvage the budding partnership. "Once the agents have been retrieved from the authorities, they will be disciplined. Strictly disciplined."

Slade, however, is unphased by the situation. "Actually, your agents served my plans quite well. I never expected them to succeed. They were merely messengers, and the message has been received."

Slade flips a switch in his hand, revealing the face of Robin the Boy Wonder on his screen. The screen splits into multiple sections, each one with Robin asking the same question.

[Who is Slade?]

**Timeskip: That Evening**

**Location: Titans Tower, Living Room/Kitchen**

Night has fallen on Jump City, and the Titans have finally been allowed back into the living room. Tony had kicked them all out so that he could schedule a deep cleaning of the area. The group walks in through the sliding doors and are astounded by what they see.

"Tada!" Tony calls out, spreading his arms and showing off the now sparkling living room. All of the trash is gone, all of the dishes are clean, the fridge is stocked with fresh food, and most importantly, every last molecule of blue goop is erased from existence.

As Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire explore the area, Robin and Raven look at their friend with amazement. "Tony, this place looks amazing!" Robin tells the blonde. "How did you get this all done in a few hours?"

"Well, that's for me, Felipé, Armando, Luis, Ricardo, Selina, Fernando, Roberta, Francisca, Julio, Consuela, and Keith to know, and for you guys to figure out for yourselves so I don't have to PAY A SMALL FORTUNE TO CLEAN THIS PLACE EVERY WEEK!" Tony responds, yelling in anger at the end.

Robin and Raven have to adjust their ears from the verbal onslaught. "R-Right, we'll get right on that," Robin assures the technologist with a shaky smile.

"NOOO!"

Tony, Robin, and Raven are startled by the shout from their green friend. Robin asks hurriedly, "Beast Boy! What's wrong?"

"My tunes! They've been…alphabetized," Beast Boy laments, making the three heroes face-fault. "How am I supposed to find anything here?" Beast Boy struggles to reorganize everything _his_ way. Next to him, Cyborg lifts the couch, once again searching for something.

Meanwhile, Starfire is looking over everything in the fridge. "My friends, this might sound strange, but part of me actually misses our blue-furred food." Starfire admits with a sad smile.

Tony sweatdrops as he, Robin, and Raven approach the couch. "This team is full of wierdos," Tony quietly states to his fellow Titan.

"Yeah, but they're our wierdos," Raven responds.

Tony's eyes and Robin's mask widen. They quickly turn to the sorceress. "Did you just make a joke?" Robin asks.

"Don't get used to it," Raven deadpans.

Nearby, Cyborg continues his searching. "I don't believe this! This place gets cleaned top to bottom, and I still can't find the–"

A sharp whistling gets his attention. He sees Robin pointing at the table, where the remote is sitting next to a small note.

"Put a homing beacon in the remote that we can track all the way to China," Tony comments, "Any farther than that, you're on your own."

Cyborg gives a triumphant laugh and joins his fellow Titans on the couch along with Starfire. He turns to Robin and asks, "So, I suppose we should be training, working out strategies, and figuring out this Slade guy is, huh?"

"We'll do that later," Robin answers casually, "but right now, I'm just happy to be part of the team."

"Amen to that," Tony concurs.

And with that, the Teen Titans kick back and enjoy some TV after a job well done.

**Timeskip: The Next Day**

**Location: Jump City Prison, Interrogation Room 6**

Two prison guards lead Jinx into the interrogation room. Her purple and black dress has been replaced with an orange jumpsuit. Her hands are cuffed, and a special power-dampening collar adorns her neck. The guards make her sit down, before locking her cuffs to the table.

"So, you jerks gonna tell me who this 'special visitor' is?" asks Jinx.

The guards refuse to answer and leave the room without giving her a single glance. Huffing in frustration, Jinx drums her fingers and waits for her visitor. After a few moments, the door to the room opens, and Jinx's eyes widen at seeing a certain enemy of hers stroll inside, wearing his trademark shades and a fancy Italian suit.

"You know, apart from overhauling the prison security system, I was gonna suggest to the prison board that each of the inmates get their own personalized jump suits. I figure that might be a step to improving morale with the prisoners, helping them get rehabilitated and such," Tony explains as he approaches the Hive member. "Plus, it'll help for the sake of fashion. I mean, look at you. While I affirm that orange is a spectacular color, I can see how it can clash with your overall smile."

Jinx blinks a few times to process the situation and the hero's words before smirking. "Tony Stark came to visit little old me. I'm honored," she says, looking him up and down with some approval. "You always wear such fancy suits?"

Tony gives a smirk of his own. "Touché." He sits down across from Jinx.

"So, did you come to try and make me a hero?" Jinx asks, making herself comfortable in her chair.

Tony raises an eyebrow. "Depends. Do you want to be a hero?"

Jinx makes a show of thinking to herself. "Hmm, nah. I think I prefer being a bad girl," she says, giving a sensual wink.

"Who says you can't be both?" Tony asks. "I sure as hell won't."

The pinkette giggles. "You sure know how to compliment a girl."

The blonde shrugs. "It's a gift, really." He leans forward and clasps his hands together. "But in all seriousness, I was hoping you could give me some more info on your boss."

Jinx gives a sigh of annoyance. "Like Gizmo told you already, he wasn't gonna be our boss until we beat you Titans. Pretty sure that ship has sailed already," Jinx explains, grumbling the last part to herself. "There isn't much to tell, really. He only had one eye, he wore armor, he was probably in the military once, and he has a major 'smug asshole' vibe to him. Before you even ask, none of us know where his base is. We were blindfolded to and from the place when we visited his secret lair."

Tony narrows his eyes, analyzes the villain in front of him, and then shrugs. "Okay. We're done here." He stands up from his seat, making to leave.

Jinx is surprised by the abrupt dismissal. "Wait, that's it? No more questions? No threats? Nothing?"

"Nope. You can't help me, so there's no more point in me being here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got paperwork to take care of." And with that, Tony turns around and heads for the door.

Jinx narrows her eyes and scowls at the blatant disrespect being shown to her by the wealthy CEO. That scowl turns into a deadly smirk as she flexes her now handcuff-free wrists.

Tony is just about to knock the door to be let out when a pair of arms wraps around his frame, with one hand gripping his throat.

"It was a very bad idea to come in here without your special armor," Jinx growls into Tony's ear.

"Urgh…well…I don't really need it, so…" Tony grunts out, before he's flipped around to face the now pissed villainess.

"You know, you're really cocky, even by my standards," Jinx angrily states. "I may have my powers blocked, but you should still fear me."

"Well, I suppose I should be afraid for my life right now," Tony admits, "but your take-no-shit attitude is really turning me on right now."

Jinx growls and grips Tony's throat tighter. "Listen, Stark, you may be an amazing kisser, but that mouth of yours is gonna get you into big trouble. "You better start treating me with some respect," she grips Tony's trousers threateningly, "or you're gonna lose what makes you a…man…"

Jinx's threat trails off when she feels just exactly what is within his trousers. She loosens her grip on Tony's neck as she feels every inch of his equipment. _'T-That's impossible!'_ Jinx thinks to herself as she's taken aback by what she's touching, her mouth trying and failing to form words.

She finally looks up at Tony's smirking face. "…what the…"

"They don't call me 'Iron Man' for nothing," Tony states matter-of-factly, his eyebrows wiggling.

**(Insert Music: MKTO – Bad Girls)**

"…ah, what the hell," says Jinx before she pulls Tony in for a kiss.

There's less romance in this kiss and more of a fiery showdown, with Tony and Jinx's tongues both battling for dominance. Their arms wildly grab at each other's bodies with fervor, until Tony grips Jinx's curvy waist and plops her onto the metal table. The two teenagers continue to hungrily kiss as they both begin tearing off their partner's clothes.

Jinx pauses her clothes-tearing and pulls away from the blonde's mouth and tongue. She breathlessly asks, "We're still enemies, right?"

Tony nods quickly. "Yeah, totally."

Jinx nods as well. "Good."

With that settled, the hero and villainess continue making out with each other. By now, Tony's expensive shirt is torn from his body, exposing his chiseled chest and toned abs. Respectively, Jinx's entire prison jumpsuit has been removed, revealing her slim yet curvy figure, with no bra holding her C-cup breasts and only a pair of purple panties covering her womanhood. Tony is now pushing Jinx onto the table, plundering her mouth and massaging her plump butt while Jinx pulls Tony close to her and grinds against his steel-hard manhood.

**Location: Outside Interrogation Room 6**

In the hallway, both prison guards flank the door to the interrogation room, keeping watch and listening for sounds of violence. However, instead of violence and fury, they hear the lustful moans of a teenage girl having her world rocked by the rich boy who pulled some strings to set up the visitation.

"Lucky bastard," one guard grumbles, getting a nod from his partner.

**[Insert End Theme: MKTO – Bad Girls Cont.]**

**AN: And cut! I wanted to get this chapter done in time for New Years Day, but my 10-hour shifts at work really beat the tar out of me. In any case, Happy New Year everybody!**

**So, the Teen Titans have defeated their first supervillains. Granted, their first battle was rougher than expected. Luckily, Iron Man was there to help them out with the fighting, as well as lifting up their spirits. We also got to see some rather embarrassing moments from early on in Iron Man's crime fighting career, though he did get some payback in the end. And speaking of endings, yes, Tony will be scoring a lot in this series, no, there is no harem in this fic.**

**Now then, my next updates will be the Anime Cinematic Universe. This one is gonna be tricky. If I update one story at a time, it'll take forever to get it all done. Instead, I'm gonna try to update multiple stories at once. Don't worry, my work schedule and life in general is mostly taken care of, so now I can sock away time to better focus on my fics. I'll also be opening a Plot Bunny Orphanage to give my many other story ideas to other writers on this site. I only ask that you treat my bunnies with all of the love and attention that they deserve.**

**Next time, a battle with a villain gone wrong causes a major split in the team. Will it destroy the Titans forever? Find out in the next exciting installment of Iron Man: Titanic Adventures!**

**Until next time!**

**Dropareviewifyoucanflamerswillbeignored.**


	4. Divide and Conquer

**Hello, and welcome back! Before we get into the story, I'd like to address some things from the reviews.**

**Firstly, once again, thank you so very much ****warrior of six blades**** for your support! Not only do I appreciate your highly detailed reviews, but also for your patience regarding my update schedule. It's reassuring when people aren't rushing me for updates. It really brings down the pressure on me, which is pretty high right now considering everything going on with the world.**

**Secondly, to ****Lawrence HBain****, I appreciate your honest feelings about my romantic choices for my characters. I love harem stories as much as the next guy, but I believe that there are certain storylines where having a single-pairing makes the story run much smoother than having the hero marry and bang every single attractive female ever. That being said, Tony is definitely going to have plenty of action in the future. So, if you wish to continue reading this story, then yay! If not, I'm very happy that you at least gave it a try.**

**Now then, let's see how the Titans handle their first team schism! Hooray for drama!**

**Disclaimer: This author does not own the properties of Naruto, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Mortal Kombat (unfortunately). This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.**

"Hello there!": Speech.

'_What a drag'_: Thoughts.

[I am Iron Man!]: Mechanical Speech

**The Earth is Mine!**: Monster/Demon Speech

**Let'sgetiton!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Divide and Conquer

* * *

**Location: Jump City Prison**

Sirens blare all across the facility as smoke rises from the destroyed front entrance of Jump City's maximum-security detention facility. Three security guards in hi-tech armor run through the ruined archway.

"Code Red! Cell Block Nine!" one of the guards calls out.

"Move out!" another guard responds. All three of them rush to the cell block to deal with whatever being has broken into the facility.

They slow down and look around, scanning the open prison yard.

"Main yard secure," the lead guard declares.

Right before a large slab of earth crashes in front of his squad.

"There he is!" the lead guard calls out as his squad slowly approaches the hostile figure.

"He'll free the prisoner!" the lead guard warns his fellow officers. "Fire!"

With that order, the three guards fire their laser rifles at the hulking giant walking into the cell block through the hole it just made. Unfortunately for the guards, their weapons are useless against the stone body of the giant.

The giant stops its advance and turns to the guards, revealing its blocky rectangular head, glowing red eyes, and pronounced lower jaw. The giant growls and stomps the ground, shattering the earth with a shockwave that creates a barrier of stone and concrete, which prevents the guards from advancing.

The guards dealt with, the giant stomps its way into the facility, dead set on completing its objective.

"You know, Cinderblock, normally the bad guys break _out_ of jail," a joking voice calls out, stopping the stone giant.

"And I can think of five good reasons why you don't want to break in," another more serious voice finishes.

Cinderblock looks with surprise as five figures land nearby one by one.

Robin. "One!"

Starfire. "Two!"

Beast Boy. "Three!"

Raven. "Four!"

And Cyborg. "Five!"

"No matter how you do the math, it all adds up to you going down," Robin declares, staring down Cinderblock. "So, are you going to go quietly…"

"Or is this gonna get loud?" Cyborg finishes his friend's question.

Cinderblock's response is to roar and charge at the five superheroes.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouts. He and the rest of the Titans charge in, their battle cries going out as they collide with the stone giant and engage in a fierce battle between good and evil.

* * *

**(Insert Theme Song: Teen Titans Theme)**

* * *

**Location: Jump City Prison, Cell Block 9**

Robin begins the battle by jumping up and giving a mighty kick to Cinderblock's head, causing the giant to stagger back in pain. Starfire continues the assault by sending a full powered starbeam into Cinderblock's back. Cyborg uses the opening to send a haymaker at the villain, but Cinderblock counters Cyborg's fist with his own, causing a shockwave to ring from the two strikes. This does, however, cause Cinderblock to stumble back, giving Beast Boy an opportunity to attack in hawk form. Unfortunately, the bird's talons do little to no damage to the monster's stone hide. Seeing Raven all alone, Cinderblock charges at the sorceress with his fist raised high. Raven responds by raising the concrete floor in front of her as a makeshift barrier. She flies up as Cinderblock effortlessly shatters the wall.

Raven gains some distance as Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire charge in for an attack. Cinderblock responds by swinging his arm out wide, hitting Robin and Cyborg away. Seeing her friends get hit, Starfire starts throwing her starbolts at Cinderblock, only for the villain to grab her out of the air with both of his massive hands. The giant brings the girl close to his face and smirks evilly. Cinderblock stops smirking, however, when Starfire gives him a friendly smile.

"I am sorry to disappoint you," says Starfire, her eyes glowing green with power, "but I am stronger than I look." With that, Starfire pulls her leg back, and kicks Cinderblock's head with great force, sending the giant staggering back into the metal gate behind him.

Recovering from the kick, Cinderblock looks and sees the green hawk transform into a green T-Rex. The dinosaur backs up to gain some distance, then charges right at the stone giant. Unfortunately, Beast Boy's charge is halted by a stone punch that sends the dinosaur flying back.

"Azarath Metrion–" Raven's chanting is halted as she sees a green T-Rex heading right for her. Fortunately, the dinosaur transforms back into a screaming humanoid. Unfortunately, that screaming humanoid still crashes right into her.

Beast Boy shakes his head as he recovers from the fall. He then looks and sees an annoyed Raven sit up and blow her hair back into place.

"Um, watch out for falling dinosaurs?" Beast Boy quips, chuckling nervously at his attempt at a joke.

Raven is not amused.

"Um, I'm gonna leave you alone now," says Beast Boy as he runs away from the sorceress.

Cinderblock meanwhile chuckles at the damage he's done so far. However, he's unprepared for Robin to jump in and grab him in a chokehold. Cinderblock tries to shake the hero off of him, ripping out a steel beam in the process.

"Thrashing only makes me hold tighter," Robin growls out, before noticing the beam in Cinderblock's hands. He jumps away just in time to avoid the metal beam, causing the beam to collide with Cinderblock's head in a comical fashion.

"Now there's an idea," says Cyborg as he also rips out a steel beam from the wall. He charges at the giant and engages in a mock swordfight with the villain.

Seeing the fighting happen, Robin pulls out his communicator.

"Tony! Where are you?! We could use some help over here!" Robin shouts into his communicator.

[I'm a little busy at the moment!]

* * *

**Location: Downtown Jump City**

[My old friend, Melter, stopped by for a little visit.] Iron Man responds to his fellow crime-fighter as he flies around, dodging thermal blasts being sent his way.

Down below, civilians run for cover as a man uses the large gun attached to his arm to fire at the hero above him. The man is wearing a green full-body jumpsuit with metal shoulder-pads and a hi-tech welder's helmet with a large orange visor covering his face.

"Come down here and fight me like a man, Stark!" The Melter calls out to his nemesis.

[I'm all for it, Bruno! Just as soon as you lose that gun of yours,] Iron Man counters as he avoids a blast that melts a nearby sign.

"You don't get to call me that! Not after what you did to me!" The Melter yells out in rage.

[Excuse me? Who was the one that used faulty equipment in their inventions? Who was the one that ruined his employees' lives?] Iron Man retorts.

"DON'T PLAY DUMB! I know you paid off those inspectors to make me look bad!"

[You didn't need their help, Bruno,] Iron Man quips, before ducking to avoid another heat beam.

"I lost everything! My government contracts, my company, my reputation, everything! Now, I'm going to take everything from you!" The Melter declares as one of his blasts melts a nearby street sign.

[I don't have time for this,] Iron Man mutters to himself. Deciding to end the fight now, he deploys a JERICHO missile and launches it from his back. The missile splits into twelve smaller missiles, which go straight for Melter. The villain braces himself as the missiles explode all around him, sending smoke and dust up all around him.

The Melter recovers and looks around at the smoke surrounding him. "I hope that wasn't for me, Stark!" the villain yells out.

[Nope. But this is.]

THUNK!

The Melter looks and sees a cylindrical object embedded deep into the far side of his weapon. The object has a blinking red light and gives off the telltale beeping of an explosive device.

[_Now_ would be a good time to lose the gun!] Iron Man suggests from outside the smoke.

The Melter wisely chooses self-preservation over the wellbeing of his invention. He detaches the gun from his arm and throws the gun away from him. The weapon explodes a good distance away.

Unfortunately for him, this leaves him wide open for Iron Man to fly down and tackle him. The hero carries the villain high in the air before releasing him. The Melter only has a split-second to process his situation before a pair of metal boots slam into his stomach, sending the villain crashing into a parked car.

Groaning in pain from his front and back, The Melter slowly attempts to pick himself off of the wreckage underneath himself. His progress is halted however, when a large object lands in front of him. The villain blearily sees a humanoid figure approach him, before said figure pulls him off of the car and levels a helmeted glare at him.

[Like I said before, Bruno Horgan; faulty equipment,] Iron Man says to his defeated enemy.

That's the last thing The Melter hears before a metal fist sends him to La-La-Land.

* * *

**Location: Jump City Prison, Cell Block 9**

"RAAAGH!" WHAM!

Back at the prison, Cyborg is flown back from the massive hit by Cinderblock, losing his makeshift weapon as he skids away.

Cinderblock has little time to relish in his victory before finding Starfire right next to him. He prepares to strike with his steel beam, only for Starfire to use her powers and melt the beam in his hands. Starfire chuckles at Cinderblock's shocked and somewhat saddened expression. The villain decides to cut his losses and runs down the corridor behind him.

Meanwhile, Robin helps his cybernetic friend off of the ground, who shakes the dust off his shoulders.

"Wanna give this guy the Sonic Boom?" Robin offers.

Cyborg grins and powers up his sonic cannon. "I got the Sonic if you got the Boom."

The rest of the Titans stand back and watch what their comrades are up to.

A distance away, Cinderblock continues his run through the corridor.

"Yo, rockhead!"

Cinderblock hears the call behind and turns around.

He sees Robin and Cyborg running towards him. The two heroes then run towards the walls next to them; Cyborg on the right wall, and Robin on the left. They run up the walls before jumping off, causing them to cross each other and deliver their super powerful combo technique.

At least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, the two boys get their feet hooked up with each other, causing them to spin around screaming and fly into the walls. This causes Cyborg's cannon to misfire, hitting Starfire and Beast Boy instead. This also causes Robin to lose the explosive charge he was holding, making it explode right in front of Raven.

Seeing the heroes dispose of each other, Cinderblock continues his escape. He slams through the wall in front of him. Then another. And another. Four walls later, he turns a corner and escapes.

Meanwhile, a whole assortment of prisoners look at the gaping holes in the walls of their cells. Their confusion turns into excitement at the golden opportunity they have to escape.

"Hey!"

"Look at that!"

"Let's get out of here!"

Meanwhile, a recovering Robin turns and sees the escaping prisoners heading right for them. He quickly signals to the rest of the Titans. What follows is a very once sided battle that involves super-powered punches, dark spells, and an angry T-Rex.

* * *

**Location: Jump City Prison, High Security Zone**

PRISONER 385901

ABSOLUTE SILENCE!

That is the sign that adorns the outside of one of the high security prison cells located deep inside the prison. The sign, however, is completely disregarded by the stone giant, who punches the door into the cell.

Inside is a cell that is highly unorthodox in design. The walls have screens that show ambient imagery, and calm, soothing music plays in the room. At the center is a containment tank hooked up to a mess of wires. Inside the tank is a man in his underpants, sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Cinderblock approaches his target. He grabs the tank and rips it off of the cables with a grunt. His objective completed, he smashes a hole into the ground and jumps into it, escaping with his target in tow.

* * *

**Location: Jump City Prison, Main Yard**

Meanwhile, a couple of escaped prisoners run to the open archway, seeing the shining city, and their freedom, in front of them.

Until two massive gates covered in dark energy block the archway.

The prisoners look on in shock as a blue-hooded figure emerges from the blackness.

"Think again," Raven says to the now out-of-luck prisoners.

* * *

**Location: Jump City Prison, Cell Block 9**

The Teen Titans look on as the guards escort the recaptured prisoners to their cells and restore order to the prison.

"Jailbreak? I don't see any jailbreak?" Beast Boy quips.

"None of us would have seen one if Cyborg hadn't messed up!" Robin accuses, crossing his arms with an angry pout.

"Me! I messed up nothing! _You_ got in my way!" Cyborg fires back, crossing his arms as well.

"You were too far forward, and Cinderblock got away because of it!" Robin yells.

"You're saying this is _my_ fault?!" Cyborg yells back.

"Want me to say it again?!"

Sparks fly between Cyborg and Robin's eyes as they glare at one another.

Starfire gets in between them. "Stop! No more mean-talking!" she cries out, attempting to end the fighting.

"Yeah! If you guys are gonna fight, we need to sell tickets!" Beast Boy jokes.

"Cinderblock escaped. No amount of yelling will change that. So, stop acting like idiots. Let's just meet up with Tony, and go home," Raven states matter-of-factly.

Cyborg and Robin look at each other, then snort and stomp away from each other, ending the argument here and there.

"Loser," Robin mutters.

"Jerk," Cyborg grumbles.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY/WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Or, maybe not.

"You have a problem, tin man?!" Robin yells.

"Yeah! It's four feet tall and smells of cheap hair gel!" Cyborg fires back.

"Well, you're an oversized clutz, and your feet smell like motor oil!" Robin counters.

"You're bossy! You're rude! You got no taste in music!" Cyborg lists off.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team cowers in the corner like little children hearing their parents argue on a regular basis.

And then, someone crosses a line.

"I don't even know why you're on this team!" Robin yells.

"That makes two of us! I QUIT!" Cyborg declares.

With that, Cyborg storms off, leaving four shocked teenagers in the hallway of the prison complex.

[Hey guys!]

The group of four turn and see their last comrade holding a beat up villain with a busted visor.

[Sorry I'm late. It takes a while to fly around with a passenger, especially old Bruno here. Guy needs to lay off the sodas. Anyways, how'd you guys do on your end?] says Iron Man jovially, before noticing their missing teammate. [Where's Cyborg?]

His only response is for three teenagers to glare at the Boy Wonder, who looks down with shame.

Iron Man's helmet retracts, revealing a serious-looking whiskered face.

"Alright, what happened?" Tony asks the somber group.

* * *

**Location: Titans Tower, Living Room**

RING! RING!

[This is Cyborg. I'm either in the gym, playing Gamestar, or kicking bad guy butt. Leave a message.]

BEEP!

"Hello, Cy! Pick up!" Beast Boy yells into his cell phone, trying desperately to reach his friend. "Come on, Cy! Pick up! I know you're there! The phone's built into your arm!" Frustrated at the lack of response, Beast Boy hangs up.

Around him, the rest of the Titans are dealing with the loss of their friend differently. Tony is hard at work on the main computer doing research on the events that happened this morning at the prison. Raven is also busy, doing the general maintenance that is usually taken care of by Cyborg. Robin is looking out the window, brooding to himself about the big mistake he made. And Starfire is somberly mixing some yellow mixture in a bowl in the kitchen.

Her creation completed, Starfire approaches Beast Boy with the bowl and mixing spoon.

"Taste." That's all the warning Beast Boy gets before a spoonful of something is shoved unceremoniously into his mouth.

"GAAH!" Beast Boy immediately starts retching and gagging as an unholy flavor fills his mouth. He drops to the floor and spits the mixture out, making sure that every bit of it has left his tongue.

"What is that?! Cream of Toenails?" Beast Boy asks his friend in shock.

"Pudding of Sadness," Starfire answers. "It is what the people of my planet eat when bad things happen." She tries a spoonful herself, but even she shivers violently at the taste.

Starfire then approaches Raven, who is still pushing buttons and checking monitors.

"Try. The displeasing taste will ease your troubled mind," Starfire offers.

"My mind is never troubled," says Raven. "People come. People go. It is pointless to be upset about Cyborg."

Her voice is calm and collected. Her hair, however, spins violently as the monitors in front of her shatter and break.

"…What?"

"Hey! Do you mind not breaking my machines, Zen Mistress?!" Tony yells, before returning back to his work. "I swear, I'm gonna start billing people around here."

Starfire approaches Tony. "Perhaps you would be willing to try some of my creation."

Tony takes one look at the pudding, retches a bit, then looks up. "Jarvis, note to self; get Starfire every cookbook imaginable."

[Already formulating a shopping list sir,] Jarvis responds.

"Good man," says Tony as he resumes his work.

"You are not saddened by the loss of Friend Cyborg?" Starfire asks with concern.

"We didn't lose anybody, Starfire. He just needs some space right now," Tony answers. He pauses his work to fully acknowledge his alien friend. "Look, Star, guys fight all the time. Even close friends. The important thing is that at the end of the day, despite everything, they're still friends. You'll see. In no time at all, Robin and Cyborg will realize that their bond of friendship is stronger than some juvenile argument about some ridiculous technique that likely would have never even worked in the first place."

Tony and Starfire turn towards their brooding teammate as they see the dark aura around him suddenly grow around him.

"…I'm sorry. Did I say that with my outside voice?" Tony quips.

Robin is unamused.

"Anyways, we have a bigger problem at the moment. When Cinderblock left the prison this morning, he took something with him. Or rather, someone," Tony states as he pulls something up on the computer screen. Everyone else turns to regard the picture of a rather unassuming man as Tony explains, "Prisoner 385901. His name is Otto Von Furth. Worked as an operator in the production department at a factory owned by Bruno Horgan, aka The Melter. Blue collar worker, bowled on the weekends, had a fiancé. All around, a pretty normal guy…when he's asleep."

Raven raises an eyebrow. "What happens when he's awake?"

"This happens," Tony answers as he pulls up a video.

All of the other Titans gasp as they see a panicking Otto transform before their eyes. Otto's form appears to expand and melt at the same time, growing to multiple times his size. Eventually, the form settles. Where there was once an average man now stands a monstrous walking giant made out of a purple ooze, its sickly green eyes glaring at the camera.

"That is the result of a chemical disaster that occurred at Horgan's factory, creating the gigantic protoplasm you see before you. While Horgan got off rather lightly, with his career and reputation in shambles, Otto lost his fiancé and pretty much his life because of his out-of-control alter ego, Plasmus. I had the displeasure of fighting him a few times before ultimately defeating him." Tony pauses his explanation as he shudders. "I was cleaning goop off of my armor for a week."

"Why would Cinderblock want this Plasmus?" Starfire asks.

"Cinderblock isn't a genius by any stretch of the imagination. Someone else sent Cinderblock for Plasmus. Somebody has a plan for those two monstrosities, and I'd prefer to stop whatever that plan is from happening," says Tony.

"Whatever that plan is, we'll stop it," Robin declares, finally speaking up after hours of silence, "with or without Cyborg. We're better off without him."

With that, Robin walks out of the living room, leaving four concerned teammates.

Tony turns to Starfire and says, "Give him a few hours. He'll come around."

* * *

**Location: Titans Tower, Cyborg's Room**

**Timeskip: 3 Hours Later**

Robin has not been having a good day since the team left the prison one Titan short. He's been trying to convince himself that he was in the right, and that Cyborg wasn't needed on the team. Unfortunately for Robin, his attempts at denial have been futile.

Robin then tried distracting himself from the situation. He tried getting a workout in the gym by punching his frustrations out on the sandbag. Sadly, the sight of Cyborg's unused gym equipment brought his frustrations back in full. So did the mountain of unwashed dishes that Cyborg was supposed to clean today, which Robin somberly took care of. Not even getting the new high score on the game Trench Run cheered him up, especially when it removed Cyborg's old high score.

Eventually, Robin finds himself walking to Cyborg's room. He enters and sees the empty room full of hi-tech computers, maintenance machinery, and sports memorabilia. He picks up a photo sitting on a shelf of him and Cyborg posing in front of the camera with big smiles on their faces.

'_Tony was right. No argument is worth this,'_ Robin thinks to himself in sadness.

"I'm sorry."

EEERRRRP! EEERRRRP! EEERRRRP!

Robin turns as he hears the sirens go off around the Tower. There's trouble in the city.

* * *

**Location: Titans Tower, Living Room**

Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven are surrounding the main computer as Robin rushes in.

"Cinderblock strikes again?" Robin asks.

"You wish," Beast Boy answers in a disturbed voice.

Robin looks around and asks, "Where's Tony?"

"He said that he had 'an errand' to run," Starfire answers.

* * *

**Location: Starcadia Arcade**

In Jump City's most popular arcade, the citizens are oblivious to the trouble brewing in the city. Children and adults are too busy immersing themselves in fun, colorful, and addicting video games.

In one area, a decent size crowd watches as two gamers duke it out on Mortal Kombat, with a large screen showing the audience all of the action. One of them is your typical school geek, complete with reading glasses and pocket protectors. The other is Cyborg of the Teen Titans (formerly?).

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg cries out in victory, having defeated his opponent who hangs his head somberly. The poor geek shambles away as Cyborg stands up and relishes in his victory.

"Well? Anybody else want to take on the Arcade Master?" Cyborg challenges.

"I will."

Cyborg looks on in shock as the crowd parts, revealing a smirking blonde teenager with whiskers on his face. Everyone in the crowd murmurs in surprise at seeing Tony Stark here in the arcade. Tony approaches the opposite gaming machine and produces a quarter.

"I brought my own money."

Cyborg pouts, but sits down at his machine, accepting the challenge.

"I guess a techie like you knows how to play video games, huh?" says Cyborg.

Tony shrugs as he sits down and puts the coin into the machine. "I've dabbled a bit, though it has been a while since I played, what with work and superhero stuff."

"Right," says an unconvinced Cyborg, who puts his own quarter into his machine. "Alright then. Pick your–"

"Dibs on Scorpion!" Tony says quickly as he chooses the hellfire shinobi.

Cyborg raises an eyebrow. "Huh. I thought you'd be more of a Johnny Cage kind of guy."

"Everyone does," Tony answers.

"Fine. I pick Sub-Zero," Cyborg declares, choosing Scorpion's frigid nemesis.

"Not Kano?" Tony asks.

Cyborg gives the blond a deadpan glare.

Tony raises his hands in surrender. "Had to ask."

The screen shows Scorpion and Sub-Zero staring each other down as the announcer goes, [ROUND 1. FIGHT!].

With that, the crowd watches with excitement as the Tech-Masters of the Teen Titans duke it out in mortal kombat. Cyborg has a look of aggressive concentration on his face. Tony's face, however, is more nonchalant.

"So, you wanna talk about it?" Tony asks calmly as his hands blur over the controls.

"Ain't nothing to talk about," Cyborg answers as he goes for an all-out offense in-game.

"You know, I heard that Robin beat your high score on Trench Run," Tony comments idly.

Cyborg scoffs. "Did he now? I bet he was happy about that."

"Actually, he was pretty sad about it," says Tony, throwing Cyborg off a bit. "I think he would have preferred that you be there."

"Why? So he can rub it in my face that he's better than me?" Cyborg asks accusingly.

"So that you'd be motivated enough to beat him. So that the two of you can relish in the competition together. So that a couple of friends can enjoy themselves with video games and forget about whatever mishaps or–"

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" Cyborg yells as he throws out a brutal combo at his opponent.

On screen, the crowd sees Sub-Zero freeze Scorpion solid before throwing a flurry of punches and knocking the pyromancer down to the ground.

[SUB-ZERO WINS!]

"Hah! Take that, Moneybags!" Cyborg gloats.

Tony raises an eyebrow. "You know that was only the first round, right?"

Cyborg snorts as Scorpion raises himself up from the ground.

[ROUND 2. FIGHT!]

Cyborg and Tony continue their epic duel as the crowd watches on.

"I know why you're here, Tony," Cyborg says out of the blue.

"To whoop your butt in video games?" Tony asks jokingly.

"Hell no!" Cyborg quickly responds. "You're here to tell me how my argument with Robin was stupid, how the two of us are best friends, how we should just move on from it and forgive each other because our friendship is so powerful and important to each other."

"I suppose so," Tony admits as Scorpion teleports himself behind Sub-Zero. "Then again, why would I have to tell you what you already know."

Cyborg glares from both Tony's comment and the torrent of hellfire that consumes his character, causing his health to go down to zero.

[SCORPION WINS!]

The crowd cheers as the score is tied up between the two players.

"I meant what I said before, Tony. I'm done with the team, Robin especially," Cyborg declares.

"Really now?" Tony asks, unconvinced.

"Really," Cyborg affirms.

On screen, both combatants, bloody and exhausted, assume their stances for the tiebreaker.

[ROUND 3. FIGHT!]

Cyborg grits his teeth as he mashes buttons, determined to beat the blonde in front of him. Tony, however, is still calm and collected as his hands glide effortlessly over his controls. The crowd, meanwhile, cheers on as they see the two rival shinobi beat the crap out of each other on screen.

Tony breaks the tension by saying, "You know, when I was a kid, I had a friend. Although, honestly, at the time, I wasn't sure if I could call him a friend. I mean, we pretty much spent the majority of our time competing and badmouthing each other. To him, I was a hyperactive loser. To me, he was an arrogant emo bastard. Eventually, though, despite everything, we actually started getting along with each other. We went on some adventures, we laughed with each other, and we even saved each other's lives a couple of times."

Cyborg stops gritting his teeth and gains a surprised look on his face.

"I think that's what real friendship is. At the end of the day, despite whatever squabbles or competitions going on, a real friend is someone that will never abandon you, and will support you even in the darkest of times," Tony concludes his speech.

Cyborg looks down as he thinks about his relationship with Robin. He hates to admit it, but there were many more good moments with Robin then bad, and if it came down to it, he would take a bullet for his friend.

"Aaand you're open!"

Cyborg snaps out of his thoughts as he sees that his lapse in concentration has caused Sub-Zero to be wide open for a flurry of strikes from Scorpion, causing Sub-Zero's hit points to drop to nothing. Sub-Zero hobbles back to his feet and sways as Scorpion's gaze focuses on his nemesis.

[FINISH HIM!]

"FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM!" the crowd chants, children and adults wanting to see some carnage to end the night.

Cyborg glares at his fellow Titan. "Don't you dare!"

Tony smirks evilly. He quickly presses some buttons in a pattern, and…

Scorpion raises his burning hands up in front of him as if he's lifting something, and a pillar of stone rises behind him. He then launches one of his bladed chains right at Sub-Zero, sinking the blade right into the forehead of his nemesis.

"GET OVER HERE!"

With a mighty pull, Sub-Zero's head is pulled off of his body and flies right past Scorpion, who summons a sword and throws it behind him. The head of Sub-Zero bounces off of the pillar and starts to fall, only for the sword to pierce through the Lin Kuei ninja's cranium and sink into the stone. Sub-Zero's head is stuck on the pillar, his face frozen in agony and twitching slightly, a grizzly spectacle for all to bear witness.

[SCORPION WINS! FATALITY!]

"YOSH!" Tony cries out as he stands up tall and throws his arms up into the air. "The Shirai Ryu have been avenged!"

The crowd cheers along with Tony, celebrating the spectacular match that they just witnessed. The celebration lasts for a good thirty seconds, with a few cries of "We love you, Tony!" thrown in, before the crowd begins to disperse and head off to other areas of the arcade. Tony finishes his celebration as well and walks over to his fellow Titan, who is gritting his teeth and grumbling to himself about "cheating spikey-haired blondes".

"So, you ready to go home?" Tony asks, leaning against Cyborg's station.

Cyborg glares at the blonde for a moment before sighing. "Ah, what the hell." Cyborg gets up and joins Tony in leaving the arcade and heading home.

* * *

**Location: Downtown Jump City**

"You totally hustled me back there!" Cyborg accuses Tony as they both walk out of the arcade.

"To be fair, it has been a good two weeks since I last played," Tony defends himself as he pulls out his Titans communicator to tell the others about Cyborg coming back.

He stops, however, when he sees the T blinking red.

"Oh shoot! I missed a message!" Tony cries out, getting Cyborg's attention. Cyborg looks over the blonde's shoulder as Tony opens the communicator and plays the recording left for him by Robin.

[Tony! I don't know where you are, but Plasmus is attacking the Wayne Chemical Plant on the East Side! We need you here now!]

Tony turns to Cyborg and says, "Okay! Let's go help our fellow Titans."

BOOM!

"…after we deal with that."

The people on the streets run for cover as Cinderblock stomps his way through the city, carrying a cylindrical piece of machinery on his shoulder.

"You brought your suit, right?" Cyborg asks his friend.

"Duh! How do you think I got here?" Tony answers as his Iron Man suit lands right next to him. He immediately begins suiting up.

"Good, because I think a wrapped-up bad guy would be a good apology gift," Cyborg says.

[Good idea,] Tony agrees as his helmet closes over his face.

Cinderblock continues on his way, ignoring the little people around him as he carries out his objective for his master.

"Yo, rockhead! Round two!"

Cinderblock turns his head to see two metal fists from two mechanical heroes heading right for his face.

POW!

Cinderblock staggers back from the hit, dropping the machine in the process.

POW!

Another combo hit, this time with Cyborg throwing a haymaker into Cinderblock's gut, and Iron Man giving the villain a hammer strike to the head.

POW!

A third attack, this one being an uppercut from both heroes that sends the stone giant flying up into the air.

Tony quickly flies up and meets Cinderblock in the air. He powers up his chest reactor for a Uni-Beam.

VRI-SHOOOOOM!

The beam slams into the villain's gut and sends him plummeting to the ground, where Cyborg is waiting for him with his fist cocked back.

POW! "BOOYAH!"

The last hit sends Cinderblock flying right at the machine he was carrying. His stone body slams into the machine, smashing it beyond repair.

Iron Man and Cyborg approach the downed villain and see the swirls in his eyes.

[Feeling better?] Iron Man asks his friend.

"Totally," Cyborg replies with a smile.

[Good. Let's wrap this up then.]

* * *

**Location: WayneTech Chemical Plant**

Robin has not been having a good night tonight. The Team's fight with Plasmus went south from the beginning, with the villain being able to take everything the heroes have dished out at him, and for the villain to dish out just as much. Not only were Plasmus's attacks as strong as Cinderblock's, but the Titans ended up being covered in goop so foul that it made Starfire's pudding seem like a high-class dessert. Luckily, they were able to recover, regroup, and take down the villain for good.

Or, so it seemed. Until the villain split his body up into five smaller, but still monstrous, creatures. This meant that the severely undermanned Titans were now both outmatched and outnumbered. In desperation, Robin ordered the other Titans to split up, making each Titan head off to a different area of the plant. Unfortunately, they each were pursued by a single mini-Plasmus, leaving the head to watch on from afar.

This is where we find Robin now, being pursued by a beetle Plasmus through the halls of the chemical plant. The Boy Wonder runs through a set of doors and falls into a glowing green. He lands on a conveyor belt moving over several vats of green chemicals. As he steadies himself, the beetle lands right behind him.

Robin quickly pulls out his bo staff and hits the beetle with a flurry of strikes. The beetle quickly regenerates from the hits, grabs the staff with its pinchers, and breaks it in half. Robin is unfazed as his staff extends again, becoming full size. He goes for another hit, but the beetle hits his staff out of his hand, sending it flying away. Robin then decides for a more hands on approach. Doing a wonderful impression of Bruce Lee, Robin settles into a loose stance before going in for his attack.

Unfortunately, Robin's attacks do little damage against the ooze beetle. The hero attempts to catch his breath, which leaves an opening for the beetle to tackle Robin and pin him to the ground. As Robin fights off the beetle, he notices that the belt is taking the two of them over to an open vat of acidic chemicals. Robin smirks as he gets an idea. Right at the end of the belt, he flips the beetle over him and into the vat, while he clings on to the end of the conveyor.

Unfortunately, the beetle is able to grab Robin's foot. Now, with the weight of both Robin and the beetle, the belt begins to creak and break apart. Robin desperately tries to pull himself up, but to no avail. The belt breaks, sending Robin screaming to his doom.

Until a white robotic hand grabs his own.

Cyborg pulls Robin up to safety as the beetle dissolves in the chemicals below. Robin catches his breath as Cyborg smirks.

"I still got the Sonic if you still got the Boom," Cyborg offers with a smile.

Robin, reunited with his friend, smiles back.

* * *

Meanwhile, Head-Plasmus smirks at his victory over the other Titans, who are trapped inside of his other creations.

VRI-SHOOM!

His victory is short-lived, however, when a repulsor beam blasts him away.

Head-Plasmus recovers and sees Iron Man land right in front of him.

[Otto! It's been a while. You look different. You lose weight?] Iron Man quips.

Head-Plasmus roars in response and sends his monstrosities out to attack the hero.

[Can't say I've missed these little meetups of ours.] Iron Man remarks as he powers up his chest reactor again.

VRI-FWOOOOM!

He releases the energy, not as a beam, but as a wave that washes over all four of the Plasmuses, sending the villain splattering away and releasing the other Titans. Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy regroup with Iron Man.

"You took your time getting here," Raven remarks.

Iron Man shrugs and replies, [I told you I had an errand to run. Now, get back.]

The other Titans are more than eager to do so as Plasmus begins to reform into his single giant form. The villain's face appears on the ooze and begins to growl.

[Hey, Otto!] Iron Man calls out, startling Plasmus as the hero points past the villain. [Don't look behind you!]

Naturally, Plasmus turns to look behind him and sees Robin and Cyborg running right for him.

"TEEN TITANS GO!" Both heroes call out as they run on the walls to perform their Sonic Boom technique. This time, the execution is flawless as Robin throws his bomb with Cyborg shooting his sonic cannon right afterwards. The beam shoots around the bomb, which detonates and adds its blast wave to the sound wave. The combined kinetic energy hits Plasmus dead center, destroying its form in a tremendous explosion.

When the dust settles, all that remains is an average-looking man in his underwear sleeping peacefully in a pile of goo. The Titans all crowd around the unassuming man that nearly killed most of them.

Robin looks at Iron Man and asks, "So, is the Sonic Boom still ridiculous?"

[Not as much, no,] Iron Man admits, [although, is the whole 'running on the wall' thing really necessary?]

Cyborg scoffs. "Everybody's a critic."

* * *

**Location: WayneTech Chemical Plant, Outside**

Iron Man observes as Otto, now in a more reinforced pod, is loaded onto a transport truck bound for Jump City Prison.

[Make sure the trip isn't too bumpy, officer,] Iron Man says to the police officer driving the truck.

"Sure thing, Mr. Stark," The officer replies.

Iron Man nods before giving one last look to the man who was forced into the life of villainy.

[Sweet dreams, Otto,] Iron Man says quietly before walking over to the other Titans.

Meanwhile, Robin and Cyborg are having a moment.

"Look, uh, sorry about…" Robin says, trying to get an apology out.

"Yeah. Me too." Cyborg replies.

"…So, are we cool?" Robin asks tentatively.

Cyborg smiles and holds his fist out. "Frosty."

Robin smiles as well. He gives his mechanical friend a fist bump, signaling their renewed friendship. The other Titans look on with happiness.

"You made up! Glorious!" Starfire cries out with glee. "I wish to initiate a group hug!"

"…Pass," Raven declines.

Beast Boy then breaks the joyful atmosphere by saying, "Yeah yeah yeah! Warm fuzzies all around, but we still gotta stop Cinderblock!"

"No we don't," says Cyborg, confusing the others except Iron Man. "Tony and I brought a present, in case you were still mad." Cyborg motions to the stone giant wrapped up in metal pipes being hoisted up by a crane.

"Oh! So that's why it took so long for you two to get here!" Beast Boy says to the two metal heroes.

Iron Man and Cyborg glance over at each other, then back to the group.

[Yep. Absolutely. That's why it took us a while.] Iron Man confirms, deciding not to tell them about the little duel he had with Cyborg.

"Thanks, but there is still one thing that's bothering me," Robin states, getting horrified looks from Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire. "Tony was right before. Breaking into jail, using Plasmus to distract us, the whole plan seems to be a little too smart for Cinderblock."

"I've been thinking the same thing," Cyborg says, agreeing with his teammate.

Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire sigh in relief from the lack of explosive arguments.

"Someone must have been pulling the strings, but who?" Robin asks as he rubs his chin in thought.

[Thousand bucks says it's this 'Slade' guy that Gizmo mentioned before,] Iron Man suggests.

"Well, whoever they are, they're no match for the Teen Titans!" Cyborg declares.

"I heard that!" Robin says as he high-fives Cyborg, his spirit back up along with everyone else's.

* * *

**Location: Unknown**

Someone else, however, is not so cheerful.

WHAM! CRASH!

That's the sound of a metal fist slamming into a desk, causing a nearby teacup to shatter. An older gentleman in a white suit dutifully sweeps up the broken china, before placing a new cup of tea onto the arm of his employer's throne.

The man sitting on the throne pays no mind to this as he fumes to himself. Slade's plan was going so perfectly. His tool, Cinderblock, was successful in freeing Plasmus, who would have been the perfect distraction for the Teen Titans. The fact that there was a sudden fracture to the team of heroes made the plan even sweeter. With the Titans preoccupied, Cinderblock would have easily been able to plant the device that would have triggered an electromagnetic pulse, which would have wiped out all machinery in the city and created chaos, thus allowing for Slade to take over Jump.

Of course, Tony Stark had to not only reunite the team, but also take out both Cinderblock and Plasmus at the same time. Now, not only has Slade's plan failed, but he's missing his two heavy hitters.

Stark. Slade has underestimated how much of a thorn in his side that boy would be. Him and his Teen Titans. First with the Hive Students, now this. Even the work that he put in for outfitting The Melter with his tech was all for naught.

No more. Slade can't afford to underestimate these young heroes anymore. Not if he wants to accomplish his ambitions.

"Next time, my plans _will_ succeed," Slade declares, his left eye narrowing in determination, "and the Titans will pay."

* * *

**Location: Titans Tower, Living Room**

Safe at home, the Teen Titans are currently kicking back in the living room, resting up from their long day of fighting supervillains and emotional drama. Their relaxation is cut short when Tony walks into the room, still wearing his armor but with the helmet retracted.

"Good news, everyone. Otto and Cinderblock have been safely transported to Jump City Prison. No breakouts, no technical issues, no fuss, and no muss," Tony reports to his teammates.

"Thank goodness for that! I'm too exhausted for fighting bad guys," Beast Boy groans.

"I am also feeling the exhaustion. As well as the grossness," says Starfire as she attempts to clean purple ooze out of her hair.

"Yeah, I think we could all use a cleanup after today," Robin agrees.

"Great idea! You all hit the showers and call it an early night. That way we'll all be well rested for tomorrow. I'll head home and do the same," Tony declares as he turns to leave the room.

"You mean your fancy penthouse with your gigantic luxurious shower room?" Raven asks in a knowing tone.

Tony pauses and looks away shiftily. "…I can neither confirm nor deny the soothing awesomeness that is my shower." With that, he continues heading out, leaving behind some disgruntled teenagers.

That is, until Cyborg stops him.

"Hang on, Tony. There's something I've been wondering about."

Tony stops right at the door. "Yeah?"

"You remember when we were talking earlier, and you mentioned that friend of yours that you argued with a lot, but also saved each other's lives and whatnot?"

"…Yeah?"

"Whatever happened to that guy?"

The rest of the Titans lean in curiously, wanting to know more about their blonde benefactor and teammate.

Tony sighs and turns his head towards his fellow Titans. "…We, uh…we went our separate ways. You know, he had his plans for the future, and I had mine. I mean, we did have a little tussle because I didn't exactly agree with his ambitions, but in the end, I think we understood each other. Last I saw of him, he was in good health. But, yeah, it's been a few years since then."

The other Titans blink owlishly at what they just heard.

"…That was the most uninformative explanation I've ever heard," Raven bluntly states.

Tony turns fully towards the Titans and says, "Look, my past isn't exactly all sunshine and rainbows, okay? It's complicated, it's messy, it's…honestly, I'm a guy who prefers to look to the future."

"You can't run from your past forever, Tony. No matter how much you want to," Raven says sagely.

"I know, Rae. Trust me, I know," says Tony.

"We do not wish to make you uncomfortable, Friend Tony. We are just curious about you. We promise not to pass judgement on you, or destroy our friendship because of what you reveal," Starfire assures gently.

"I appreciate that, Star," Tony says to his redheaded friend. He then addresses the whole group. "I appreciate all of you. You guys have done a wonderful job so far dealing with my quirks, my snark, my sense of humor, all of it. This is the first time in a long while that I've had friends like this, and I don't want to lose it. I promise you that one day soon, I'll tell you everything you want to know about me and then some. I just need some more time, that's all."

"I understand, Tony, about having secrets, and waiting for the right time to tell them," Robin says to the blonde. "You've been patient and trusting with us, so we'll be the same for you."

Tony smiles warmly. "Thank you, guys."

"Just remember; we want _all_ the details! Including the embarrassing ones!" Beast Boy declares.

Tony chuckles. "Especially the embarrassing ones. Don't worry, string bean." He then gives a wave to his friends. "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight, Tony!" "Have the most pleasant of dreams, Friend Tony!"

With that, Tony leaves the room and his friends, heading for home.

"Friend Tony is very kind, but also very mysterious," Starfire remarks.

"Yeah, but I kind of like that about him," Beast Boy admits. "He's like this fun video game puzzle you gotta solve." Beast Boy turns to Robin. "What about you, Rob? I bet you're just dying to solve the puzzle that is Tony Stark."

Robin responds by looking away shiftily. "I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation."

That answer prompts a laugh from everyone in the room.

* * *

**Location: Stark Tower Penthouse, Bathroom**

Tony sighs as he steps out of the shower, which is indeed very spacious and luxurious as Raven claimed. He may not have gotten oozed like the others, but the shower was still very much needed. He dries himself off and goes to hang up his towel but stops when he sees his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

He first observes the dead center of his chest, where a circular device emanating a blue light is embedded deep inside. This device is the one thing he owes his life to. The thing that changed his life for the better. The thing that is the center for all of his plans for the future.

Tony's gaze then moves to the upper right side of his chest. There is a circular shaped scar the size of a fist, with veiny lines reaching out, as though he was struck by lightning. He takes his hand and lightly touches the scar. He immediately flinches, not from any physical pain, but from an onslaught of memories that fill his mind.

Tony bends over and breathes deeply as the memories pass by. Eventually, he calms down and breathes evenly. He raises his head and takes one last look at himself in the mirror.

Someday, he'll tell them everything.

'_Someday.'_

* * *

**[Insert End Theme: Teen Titans End Credits Theme]**

**AN: And cut! Well, this chapter is certainly shorter than the previous ones, but full of content nonetheless.**

**So, the Titans nearly broke up, but thanks to Tony's words, they were able to patch everything up and be friends again. Not only that, but they were able to stop Slade's plans to take over the city. Boy, is he pissed! Expect more trouble from him in the future. And finally, we get to know a bit more about Tony's backstory. Are the pieces starting to come together for you? Don't worry. All will be revealed eventually.**

**Also, yes, I skipped out on a lot of the initial fight between the Titans and Plasmus, as well as some Slade scenes, in exchange for the arcade scene with Tony and Cyborg. I figured that it would a bit too much to have all of that in there, and I wanted to focus more on Tony's interactions with the team, especially Cyborg. I hope you enjoyed that little gaming moment. BTW, Scorpion's fatality from MKX is my all-time favorite fatality.**

**Lastly, I included the fight between Iron Man and The Melter because I want to include some of Iron Man's actual rogues into this story. Yes, this will include Stane, Hammer, and the REAL Mandarin. I have some ideas brewing for these guys and their connections to the DC Universe. BTW, hope you liked the little connection I made between The Melter and Plasmus.**

**Next time, the Teen Titans are visited by a beloved member of Starfire's family. But is that love mutual? And what else has followed them here to Earth? Find out in the next exciting installment of Iron Man: Titanic Adventures!**

**Until next time!**

**Dropareviewifyoucanflamerswillbeignored.**


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